Revenue and Disaster Management Minister KA Sengottaiyan said on Wednesday that the TVK government had completed 40 per cent of stormwater drain works in Chennai that had remained unfinished under the previous DMK government. He said the works were completed during the four months since the government assumed office.

Speaking to reporters after a review meeting at the Tiruchy Collectorate, Sengottaiyan was asked about the DMK’s claim that stormwater drain works worth Rs. 40 bn completed during its tenure had helped prevent waterlogging on Chennai’s roads during periods of heavy rain. He said infrastructure development was the responsibility of every government and that incomplete works had required the current administration to act after taking office.

The minister said officials had been instructed to complete all precautionary measures on a priority basis because of the possibility of a super El Niño. He added that the Chief Minister had been coordinating the work of various departments for the past three months to strengthen the state’s preparedness for weather-related emergencies.

In Chennai, the Chief Minister was conducting daily reviews by dividing the city into 15 zones, Sengottaiyan said. Fifteen IAS officers and seven ministers had been deployed to monitor preparedness measures, while the government had also appointed 17 IAS officers and seven ministers to identify rain-affected areas and arrange immediate remedial action.

Sengottaiyan said the government was prepared to respond effectively to natural disasters, with officials expected to monitor vulnerable locations and coordinate relief measures. The arrangements were being reviewed as part of preparations for possible heavy rainfall in the city and other parts of the state.

The minister declined to comment on the arrest of a TVK functionary in connection with a narcotics-related case in Nagapattinam. The review meeting focused on drainage works, departmental coordination and precautionary measures ahead of the expected monsoon-related challenges.