Chennai floods have exposed inefficient system prevailing in Tamil Nadu, Jayaprakash Narayan says

Lok Satta Party founder Jayaprakash Narayan on Sunday said the Tamil Nadu government is plagued with inefficiency, corruption and centralization.

Speaking at an event organized by ChennaiNext, a group of flood relief volunteers, Narayan said centralized administration prevailing in the state was one of the main reasons for the recent floods. "It's shameful that officials are not empowered to take decisions in a democratic system. The recent floods have exposed the inefficient system prevailing in Tamil Nadu", he said.

The bureaucrat -turned-politician said most elected representatives in the state considered votes a commodity. "People should have self-respect and keep away from such politicians. In the recent floods, Chennai has discovered the potential of youth who can bring about a change."

He said a political change from AIADMK and DMK would a take few more years. "This will not happen overnight, but there will be change if the youngsters who were involved in the relief work continue to keep up the good work."

R Elango, former president of, Kuthambakkam village panchayat, said, "Citizens should be involved in developmental work, including road laying to bring transparency. Self-sufficiency is the key for good governance and each households should be able to generate solar power and manage their waste."

He said educated families in the gated communities should not blame politicians for the mess. "They should ensure that waste water from their apartments will not pollute nearby water bodies."

D Jagadeeswaran of ChennaiNext said they had decided to ensure public participation in activities including waste management campaign and drainage work at ward level. "We hope that it will bring some accountability."

ChennaiNext facilitated volunteers of various NGOs who were involved in flood relief work.

Courtesy: The TImes of India