Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu on Friday instructed authorities of urban local bodies and the Rural Development Department to identify and remove weak banners in all districts, especially cyclone-prone districts such as Chennai, Cuddalore and Nagapattinam.
Chairing a meeting in the Secretariat, the Chief Secretary reviewed the precautionary measures being taken in view of the onset of the Southwest monsoon in the State. He instructed authorities to identify weak buildings and prevent entry into them, and to safely pull them down. He further urged them to ensure that stormwater drains were cleared to prevent stagnation of rainwater.
Sensors installed in subways have to be checked. Motor pumps and other equipment have to be kept ready. In case of inundation, vehicular traffic has to be diverted through other routes, he said.
Police personnel should prevent members of the public from venturing into dangerous areas to take ‘selfies’, an official release quoted the Chief Secretary as saying.
The Chief Secretary also urged officials to monitor waterbodies and remove hyacinth weeds, if any, regularly. Narrow railway subways have to be checked for inundation and rainwater should be drained soon, he added.
Besides authorities from various State government agencies and the Greater Chennai Corporation, officers from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, India Meteorological Department, Central Water Commission and the National Disaster Response Force were present in the meeting.
