TN rains: Jayalalithaa seeks central assistance, Rajnath assures help

With Tamil Nadu reeling from monsoon fury, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday apprised the Centre of the flood situation in the state and said her government would submit a detailed memorandum seeking Central assistance by next week.

In a telephonic talk with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, she apprised him of the situation and sought a central team to make assessment after which the Minister assured her that it will be deputed once the Centre receives the memorandum, the state government said.

Singh, who is in China, said on Twitter that he had spoken to the Tamil Nadu chief minister and assured of all possible help.

"The Centre is assisting the state agencies of Tamil Nadu in rescue and relief ops. Assured TN CM of all possible help," Sinh said in his tweets.

The state government said that the "The chief minister apprised the Union Home minister of the current situation in Tamil Nadu due to the unprecedented rains and floods, particularly in the districts of Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Cuddalore."

Assessment of damage caused by the north-east monsoon was underway in the state, Jayalalithaa informed Singh, according to a government release which quoting the interaction between the two.

She "also indicated" to him that the state government will submit its detailed memorandum seeking assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund and other Central government funding by November 23, it said.

She also requested him to 'speedily' depute a central team to Tamil Nadu to make on the spot assessment, and recommend release of central assistance without delay, it said.

"The Union Home minister assured the chief minister that the central team would be sent to Tamil Nadu immediately on receipt of the Memorandum from the state government," it said.

Jayalalithaa informed Singh about precautionary measures taken by her government, its "extensive, immediate relief and rescue efforts" and 'effective' coordination with central agencies such as the National Disaster Response Force, besides the army, the air force, the navy and the Coast Guard.

Image: A man wades through knee-high water in Chennai. Photograph: PTI