CM, officials spend endless hours on field for relief work

CM, officials spend endless hours on field for relief work

Komal.Gautham@timesgroup.com

09.11.2021

The spectacle of chief minister M K Stalin, senior ministers and IAS/IPS officers, with sleeves rolled up and sporting gloves and gum boots, visiting flooded neighbourhoods and overseeing relief measures has taken residents by surprise.

R Gowri Shankar and Mahalakshmi of Perambur were originally worried if their marriage would take place at all on Monday due to rain. But the event became more memorable for the couple, as Stalin spotted them on road, blessed them in person and handed them a cash gift too. While returning home after the wedding, the couple noticed Stalin’s entourage at Kannadasa Nagar. They waved at it, but didn’t expect him to stop.

To their surprise, Stalin asked his driver to reverse the car. He did not just get down from the vehicle to bless the couple, but also gave them ₹1000 each as cash gift. “He told me to take care of my wife well, and blessed us. I will frame this currency and will never use it. I will never forget this incident in my life,” Shankar said.

HR&CE minister PK Sekar Babu recalls how Stalin walked into a Sathya Nagar household that was least prepared to host him. “He sat there and inquired about their grievances. This attitude sets an example for us all. When the chief minister himself is travelling hundreds of kilometre we don’t feel like sitting at home at all,” he said.

Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Chennai corporation commissioner, says it is only through field visits certain problems can be resolved. “Many officials and ministers were worried stagnant water in T Nagar. When we made a spot visit, we found there were two blockages in Mambalam canal. When it was removed, water began flowing freely,” he said.

BEST WISHES: Chief minister M K Stalin in rain gear blesses a newly wed couple in Kannadasa Nagar on Monday