With several parts of Chennai and its suburbs being crippled due to the impact of Cyclone Michaung, elected representatives in some places have had to face anger from the public who were denied access to electricity, milk or water for several days due to flooding.
Speaking to The Hindu, DMK’s Thousand Lights MLA Ezhilan Naganathan, who has been seen visibly available to tend to his constituents, said that he too had encountered “angry people”, but accessibility and visibility of the people’s representatives on the ground makes a huge difference in reassuring those who are bearing the brunt of the rains.
“Just as the National Health Service (publicly-funded healthcare system) in the United Kingdom has become an electoral issue, flood mitigation in Chennai, too, will become an electoral issue in future,” he acknowledged.
“I personally attended 3,718 calls; mostly people calling to say that water had entered their homes, or that their street was flooded. They would complain about the power not being back. I had also tended to 38 calls for relocation. When I went for inspection, I went along with officials and ensured that what could be fixed, was fixed, to reassure the people,” said Dr. Ezhilan.
The MLA had identified 43 spots within his constituency which were low-lying after the 2021 rains through local residents, officials and party cadre, and had presented them to the V. Thiruppugazh committee.
“I realised that Thousand Lights is just part of the larger puzzle in flood mitigation. As rains became excessive this year, we had to set up shelter homes, ensure availability of food through community kitchens, open up wedding halls, keep hospitals and police control rooms ready and aligned, to coordinate relief work as well as create flood relief coordination committee,” he said. The flooding was caused because canals connected to the Cooum and Adyar Rivers were flooded, he pointed out.
Dr. Ezhilan said old timers in the party had apprised him about how Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who had earlier represented the Thousand Lights constituency, took a hands-on approach during natural disasters.
“I took inspiration from that and I knew I had to deliver. We had at least five motors in all 7 divisions. People who were suffering had to be reassured. People did shout at me and use harsh words, but we derive our power from the people,” he said.
“The lower middle income group were the most affected as many had lost electronic appliances and personal vehicles. Most of them would have lost good valued at around ₹40,000-50,000. The Chief Minister’s announcement of ₹6,000 as assistance has given people much-needed immediate relief.”
Dr. Ezhilan said that Chennai is experiencing the effects of climate change and that the expansion of Chennai further should be rethought. “We have to protect what we have developed in Chennai and policy-makers should think about developing Tier II and Tier III cities. Chennai is facing, and will face, the brunt of global warming in future as well,” he said.
