The main opposition party in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK, has announced a protest on December 21, demanding the immediate disbursement of relief measures and compensation for the flood-affected people in the Villupuram district.
The protest march and demonstration will be led by senior AIADMK leader and party organising secretary, C. V. Shanmugam, in front of the Villupuram collectorate.
AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition, Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS), made this announcement.
EPS accused the state government of poor management during the heavy rains triggered by Cyclone Fengal earlier this month.
He alleged that the government released over 1.68 lakh cusecs of water from the Sathanur reservoir without issuing prior flood alerts.
This, he said, led to sudden flooding in the Thenpennai River, severely affecting people in the low-lying areas of Villupuram district.
The former Chief Minister claimed that the DMK government’s mismanagement caused severe damage to property and livelihoods.
He said several villages were submerged, and towns like Cuddalore and Villupuram were inundated, with water entering many housing colonies.
The DMK government, however, denied these allegations.
Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister and senior DMK leader, S. Duraimurugan, said that proper protocols were followed in managing the dam and issuing flood warnings.
In a statement, Duraimurugan clarified that five warnings were issued before releasing water from the dam.
He explained that the decision to release 1.80 lakh cusecs of water was necessary to prevent the dam from breaching, which could have caused the loss of seven TMC of water and widespread devastation.
The minister also emphasised that there was no loss of life due to the water release into the Thenpennai River.
He credited the “deft handling” of the unprecedented situation for averting a larger crisis.
