RE: North Eastern monsoon Rain & Flood updates in Tamilnadu
Chennai floods: Relief as weather forecasts show no heavy rains
After nearly three weeks of non-stop heavy rains and ten days of heavy floods, Chennaities have got some good news. Weather forecast shows no possibilities of heavy rains, however, for the next three days the city and coastal districts will receive rain.
On Saturday, thrice during the day the city witnessed heavy rain, while the dark clouds continue to threat the residents. All the key services, including power, milk supply, mobile connections, trains and flights are expected to be restored in the next two or three days.
Meanwhile, rescue operations by defence including Army, Navy, Airforce and others are being undertaken day and night to rescue people from many parts of the city and from suburbans. They were joined by hundreds of young volunteers.
Meanwhile, ruling AIADMK has said it would initiate action against partymen blocking volunteers’ relief materials from reaching the rain-and flood-affected people and forcing volunteers to paste pictures of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on relief material.
They were responding to reports that the party-men in many places are forcing to paste AIADMK's Supermo picture.
On the otherside hundreds of people are stuck in places like Velacherry, Pozhichallur in many places at OMR, where all the IT majors have offices, many suburban areas on GST road which connect Southern districts are continuing to pray for rescue team to reach out to them.
They continue to send messages to different groups and in social media pleading for help. An IT engineer posted saying he is stuck with a seven-month-old kid and his family for three days.
Similarly lots of people have posted saying they have sick and elderly people with them and in need of food and water and also want rescue team to take them out from the places they were stuck.
Helpline numbers either could not be reached or constantly busy. Many could not call as telecommunications in many parts are down.
Food, water, power and other essential products are continue to be in demand and scarcity continues.
Tamil Nadu announced operation of 11 mobile vegetable shops in 32 localities. The state government said owing to the heavy rains vegetable supplies have gone down resulting their prices going up.
According to the statement the mobile shops will be operated in Saidapet, Anna Nagar, T Nagar, Nungambakkam, Teynampet, Mylapore, Kodambakkam, Royapettah, Gopalapuram, Tondaiarpet and others.
State-run AAVIN said measures are being taken to step up milk supply and that it would reach full capacity by Sunday.
Mobile network across the city continues to be bad. Airport and railway stations, except for MRTS and Metroril, are not operational.
ATMs are dry. Reports stated from tonight the mobile connections and ATMs are likely to work till tomorrow morning.
Southern Railway is operating special trains from Chennai to Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Tiruchendur, Karaikal and Tirunelveli.
Chennai airport is available for limited day time operations for technical ferry and relief flight, said union ministry of civil aviation. The airport was shutdown till December 6th owing to flooding of the runway due to the floods.
Officials are using motors to pump out water from the runway and the airport's runway has become dry.
"We started technical flights from Chennai airport. But we are unable to resume commercial flights as the basement of the airport is still waterlogged and power supply of the terminal building has not been restored completely."
“It might take at least 2-3 days to clear the airport for operations,” the Minister of State for Civil Aviation told media at New Delhi.
He said four commercial flights were operated from INS Rajali Naval base. Two flights of Indigo and one each of Spicejet and Trujet evacuated 310 people from there. Meanwhile, three stranded Air India aircraft flew back to Delhi from Chennai airport.
A total 34 aircraft of various airlines were stranded at the airport due to the flooding caused by torrential rains.
Airport director Deepak Shastri said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation had given clearance for day operations for departures alone.
“This is only for clearing the 22 stranded flights, but the terminal is not yet ready,” he added. It may take quite sometime to resume fullfledged operations, he was quoted in a report.
Bus services both in the city and connecting other parts of the state were restored partially. The state administration has decided not to charge the passengers who are using the services.
People, mainly the migrants, continue to leave from Chennai through whichever mode is possible. As in many parts of the city the water started draining out people have started taking their vehicles to move out from the city, however non-availability of fuel in bunks and cash in ATMs are forcing keeping to stay back.
Indian Oil Corporation said that there is no shortage of fuel in Chennai, where petrol pumps were closed for safety following floods.
Chennai floods: Relief as weather forecasts show no heavy rains | Business Standard News