Chennai, Nov 21 : The Tamil Nadu capital has a long way to go before it can qualify as a Smart City, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday.

After touring the flood-affected areas of Chennai and Kanchipuram districts, Sitharaman told the media that there was a risk of epidemics breaking out in the areas as water and sewage have got mixed due to water-logging.

Chennai is one of the 98 cities to be developed as a Smart City as announced by the central government.

The recent rains in the city have shown the city lacking in many basic facilities.

Asked whether Chennai could still qualify as a Smart City, Sitharaman said: "Lot of work has to be done. Then it will qualify as a Smart City."

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has formed a committee consisting of Sitharaman and Pon Radhakrishnan, minister of state for road transport, highways and shipping, to visit the flood-hit areas in Tamil Nadu and submit a report to the party's high command.