Cyclone Fengal which spared Chennai, has wreaked havoc in Puducherry and its neighbourhood as well as Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu. Having made landfall late on Saturday evening, it is still stationed close to Puducherry.
Regional Meteorological Centre director S Balachandran said, the cyclone, which had weakened into a deep depression will pass through Tiruvannamalai, Kallakurichi, Salem and Krishnagiri districts, bringing intense spells in the region.
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Entire Puducherry town is flooded in yesterday’s heavy downpour of 46 cm rainfall, the highest since 2004 when it was 21 cm. All the roads in the town appear to be covered under a blanket of floods and low lying areas are under knee-deep water. After a brief lull, it has started raining since noon, placing hurdles in relief and rescue works. The Territorial administration which provided food to 60,000 people in relief camps on Saturday will provide the same to 1.5 lakh people on Sunday.
In Villupuram district, adjoining Puducherry Union Territory, Mayilam town recorded 50 cm rainfall. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has deputed Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji and Transport Minister SS Sivasankar along with a team of senior officials to carry out relief and restoration works in the district, worst hit by the cyclone.
In Chennai, suburban areas continue to receive moderate rainfall with the City Corporation continuing to pump out stagnant rainwater in many residential areas. With the threat of extreme rain receding, many residents who have parked their cars on flyovers in both north and south Chennai have started taking them to their homes.
Chief Minister MK Stalin inspected the rain-affected areas of his assembly constituency, Kolathur, in north Chennai and interacted with the residents at Selvi Nagar and other places. Later, speaking to reporters he said “Rain has not stopped. Once the rain stops, stagnant water would get drained and there won’t be any water-logging. I have deputed the Electricity Minister Senthil Balaji and Transport Minister SS Sivasankar to Villupuram where the situation is grim. They will look after the relief and restoration works.”
Political slugfest has commenced between the ruling DMK and the opposition AIADMK. “We do not respect his criticism,” Stalin said when asked about the allegations of Leader of the Opposition and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS). In an ‘X’ post yesterday, EPS, a former Chief Minister, had alleged that the ‘Photo shoots of the DMK Ministers about Storm Water Drainage are empty advertisements as evidenced by the flooded Chennai roads’.
