The State CPI, today, blamed the successive DMK and AIADMK Governments in Tamil Nadu for the “pathetic condition of water logging” during the North East Monsoon in various districts, particularly Chennai and Cuddalore. This was attributed to non-utilisation and diversion of funds allocated to desilt and maintain channels and drainages.

“Though water logging and flood-like situation is quite natural during the monsoon season in the State, this type of unprecedented situation was the result of not taking precautionary measures by the incumbent Government, despite the forecast by the Meteorological Department,” CPI Secretary, R. Mutharasan, told reporters here.

Besides non-utilisation of funds, the officials, during Dravidian Party rule allowed real estate developers to encroach on agricultural land, thus choking canal ways meant for water flow, Mutharasan alleged.

He also said that officials colluded with developers and certified the farm lands as non-fertile land. Stating that the Government had not properly estimated the loss of property and life lost in the rains, he said that it could be more than what the Government had recommended to the Centre (over Rs. 8,000 crore).

Mutharasan demanded that farmers who had lost their standing crop be paid Rs. 25,000 per acre. Singling out the condition in Cuddalore, he blamed the discharge from NLC as another reason for the situation to deteriorate, and urged the Government to declare the district as disaster hit district and take special measures to reconstruct the towns.

He also exhorted political parties not to use the flood situation as a vote seeking tool.

There was also a demand to order a CBI enquiry based on the report by IAS officer Sahayam on the granite scam submitted to the High Court, to bring the corrupt to book.