Row over TN floods heats up as Sitharaman targets Stalin

The Union and Tamil Nadu governments on Friday sparred over the flood situation in the state after Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman countered chief minister MK Stalin's claim of a delay by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in issuing a weather warning, and state finance minister Thangam Thennarasu accused the Centre of refusing funds for rain-affected districts.

- Divya Chandrababu

The four southern districts of Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari were engulfed by ceaseless rain on December 17 and 18, which was the region's wettest spell since 1871, according to Stalin. Thoothukudi recorded 95 cm rainfall in a span of 24 hours, which is more than the annual rainfall of 70cm for the district, as per IMD.

At a press conference in the national capital on Friday morning, Sitharaman said 31 people were killed in rain-related incidents in the four districts on those two days. The Union minister attacked the state government over its preparedness to tackle the floods, and dismissed Stalin's claim the IMD failed to issue timely warnings about the extreme rainfall.

The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai had forecast heavy rains in the southern state well in advance, Sitharaman said.