Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday took stock of the situation arising out of heavy rain in several districts of the State and ordered the district Collectors to not release water from dams without prior intimation to residents. Stressing the need to remain vigilant, he said the administration should not discharge a huge quantum of water from the reservoirs at night.
The Chief Minister, who reviewed the situation with the Collectors of 12 districts virtually from here, directed them to take precautionary measures in safeguarding foodgrains, especially paddy bags, at the direct procurement centres by covering them with tarpaulin to prevent the paddy from getting soaked in the rain.
The Collectors should provide quality food and water to the people accommodated in relief camps and also set up health camps wherever needed. According to a release here, the Chief Minister asked the government officials to patrol the embankment. As the districts on the embankment of Cauvery and Kollidam would be affected owing to the release of 2 lakh cusecs water from Mettur reservoir, the Chief Minister asked the monitoring officers to take up appropriate measures.
Steps should be taken to keep ready earthmovers, tree-pruning machines, multi-departmental teams and rescue teams, he said. Earlier, Stalin flagged off tractors and rotavators from the Secretariat here to be rented out to farmers at an affordable cost. About 185 tractors, as many rotavators, mechanical ploughs and cage wheels were purchased by the Agriculture Engineering Department at a cost of Rs 22.34 crore to be rented out to farmers. An official release said about Rs 2,057.25 crore has been sanctioned for implementing the crop insurance scheme during this fiscal.
(With PTI inputs)
