Chennai, Oct 15:
A review meeting on the Greater Chennai Corporation’s preparedness for the northeast monsoon, chaired by Minister Aadhav Arjuna at Amma Maaligai in Ripon Buildings on Wednesday, witnessed a heated exchange between former Minister and DMK MLA Sekar Babu and TVK MLA Vijay Thamu.
The meeting was attended by ministers assigned to monitor the 15 corporation zones, Chennai district MLAs, Mayor Priya, Deputy Mayor Mahesh Kumar, Corporation Commissioner Sameeran and senior officials, including Additional Chief Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi.
With the India Meteorological Department indicating that the northeast monsoon was expected to begin on Thursday, officials reviewed the precautionary measures taken across Chennai.
Mayor Priya said the corporation had undertaken several civic works over the past four years, including stormwater drain construction and desilting. She said around 1,500 km of stormwater drains had been completed and three canals had been handed over to the corporation by the Public Works Department. She added that concerns over the possible impact of El NiƱo and expectations of heavy rainfall had prompted the review.
Minister Aadhav Arjuna said Chennai was no stranger to flooding and that preparations had been intensified in anticipation of heavy rainfall, particularly during December. Ministers had been assigned to monitor individual zones under the Chief Minister’s direction, he said.
Drones were being kept ready to assist in identifying and helping vulnerable areas during flooding, while special attention was being given to flood-prone neighbourhoods. Repairs to damaged electricity poles and cables in North Chennai were also under way, he said.
Calling for cooperation beyond political differences, Aadhav Arjuna said all stakeholders should work together to protect the public and prevent loss of life during the monsoon.
Deputy Mayor Mahesh Kumar assured the government of the corporation’s full cooperation. He said electrical boxes in low-lying areas had been elevated and stressed the need to desilt and deepen the Cooum river, where accumulated silt had affected water flow. He also urged the Electricity Department to exercise additional caution during the rainy season.
Speaking at the meeting, Sekar Babu said some stormwater drain connectivity works remained incomplete and called for the pending works to be expedited. He also alleged that insufficient funds had been allocated for repairing river mouths and said the allocation for individual locations was as low as Rs 10,000. He urged the government to increase the funding and ensure that all necessary stakeholders were invited to future review meetings.
The meeting turned tense when Vijay Thamu, seated behind Sekar Babu, reportedly asked him to finish speaking quickly, saying his speech was boring. Sekar Babu reacted sharply, asking why he had been invited if his speech was considered boring. He said he had attended the meeting out of respect for democratic conventions and pointed out that he had served as a Minister and had been elected MLA five times.
Minister Aadhav Arjuna and Minister Vijay Balaji intervened and asked Sekar Babu to continue speaking. Sekar Babu, however, asked them to first address Vijay Thamu, triggering a brief commotion on the stage.
Speaking to reporters later, Vijay Thamu said he had merely asked Sekar Babu to conclude his lengthy speech. When asked whether he had told the former Minister that his speech was boring, he smiled and walked away without responding.