RESIDENTS DEMAND RELIEF, STAGE PROTEST

Published Date: 3/12/2008 - (NIE)

G Saravanan

Chennai, December 2: Pandemonium prevailed for a few hours in front of Ambattur Municipality on Tuesday when about 4,000 people protested against the inordinate delay by the authorities in carrying out relief measures to nearly one and half lakh rain-affected people in the locality.

S Sekar, general secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), Ambattur, told reporters after the protest that more than 1.5 lakh people from Cholapuram, Kalyanpuram, Kamarajapuram, Teachers Colony, K K Nagar, Uzhaipalar Nagar, Sivananda Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, M K B Nagar, Mogappair, Korattur, Pattaravakkam, Mangalapuram, Thirumullaivoyal, Chozhampedu, Ayapakkam and Ayanampakkam were severely affected by the rains and floods. “Most of them were stranded insides homes in chest-deep water,”he added. Though the governme nt had immediately anno unced compensation for the rain-hit people, nothing had reached them, Sekar said. “We demanded that the government announce Rs 5 lakh for those who lost their houses and Rs 10,000 along with 50 kg rice and 10 litre kerosene for people, who partially lost their houses and belongings,” he added.

To pacify the agitators, revenue department official Wilson asked them to furnish the detail of their losses in writing to deliver relief measures accordingly. CPM FOR MORE: CPM State Secretary N Varadarajan on Tuesday asked the Chief Minister to raise the compensation for the victims from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh and also Rs 5,000 for damaged houses