AMN /
Prime Minister Narendra Modi this evening took stock of the flood situation in Tamil Nadu and discussed it with his cabinet colleagues, including the Home and Finance Ministers even as massive rescue operation on as normal life is thrown completely out in the state.
“I want to inform the House that today morning the Prime Minister met the Home Minister, Finance Minister and myself discussed the flood conditions in Tamil Nadu. We exchanged information on the situation,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said in the Lok Sabha.
Army, Navy steps up rescue efforts as rains wreak havoc in Tamil Nadu
Defence sources informed that, 3 columns of troops from the Army Service Corps and another from the Madras Engineering Group are being rushed to Chennai to augment the relief operations. Indian Navy has already deployed 113 teams and Indian Air Force is also involved in the salvage missions near the Chennai suburban areas including West Tambaram, to assist the Fire service, police personnel and revenue officials. Helicopter sorties were made to drop food packets in Tambaram. Many marooned people were rescued by the relief teams by using boats.
In northern Tamil Nadu, the heaviest rain recorded in over a decade has crippled normal life. In Chennai, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur districts, the situation continues to be grim due to the heavy flooding triggered by yesterday’s incessant rain, though there have been only intermittent showers today.
Traffic is only skeletal in arterial segments in Chennai. Suburban train service in the city has been halted due to inundation. Chennai Airport remains shut down as it is submerged. The National Airports Authority of India has planned to review the situation later to decide on reopening services tomorrow. Airliners have suspended operations to Chennai due to flooding.
Southern Railways have cancelled 21 express rail services originating from Chennai Egmore Station
tomorrow as well. 3 women in Tiruvallur are feared to have been washed away in Nanthan River, and one died of wall collapse in Villupuram. Total death toll is feared to have crossed 200 due to flood during this North East Monsoon period. The National Disaster Response Force sources in Chennai said that it has pressed 14 teams into rescue and relief operations in and around the city, 3 more landed in the INS Rajali airbase at Arakkonam and 7 more are expected to arrive tomorrow.
The Indian Railways has canceled as many as 23 trains due to incessant rains in Chennai. Additional Director General, Public Relations in Ministry of Railways Anil Saxena said, apart from the cancellations, 11 trains have been diverted and 8 have been partially canceled. He said, Railways is taking measures to provide drinking water and other basic facilities to the passengers stranded in several trains and various stations.
Mr Saxena said the trains are being diverted to nearest bigger junctions as two major divisions of Chennai have stopped operating. He advised the passengers to check schedules of their trains traversing through Chennai online before undertaking journey to avoid inconvenience.
In view of unprecedented flood in Chennai, the state run BSNL will not charge for phone calls for a week in the city starting today. Talking to media outside Parliament today, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, it has also been decided that the phones will also not be disconnected in case of non payment of the bill till end of this month. He said the Central government is monitoring large towers and signal connections in Chennai.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department – IMD, today said rains will continue to batter Tamil Nadu for the next seven days and the next 48 hours are very crucial. IMD Director General L. S. Rathore attributed the heavy rains to a trough of low over Southwest Bay of Bengal off Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka coast which will continue to bring rains over the next three days. He said thereafter the state will see an anti-cyclone activity which will be associated with heavy rains at some places. Mr Rathor said neighbouring states will also see rainfall activity.
He said a warning has also been issued for coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh especially Nellore and Chittoor, interior Tamil Nadu and Rayalseema region of Andhra Pradesh. Mr Rathore said these rains should not relate to global warming and climate change. Mr Rathor said the Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi chaired a high-level meeting with the stake holders, including officials of National Disaster Management Authority, which was attended by Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary through a video conference.