Tamil Nadu Rains 2021: 75,000 Police Personnel Deployed In Chennai, Adjoining Districts To Tackle Rain Fury

The Greater Chennai Traffic Police in a statement announced the closure of 11 subways and seven roads that have been submerged in water due to incessant rains

Chennai: To tackle the rain fury in Chennai and the adjoining districts, the Tamil Nadu government has deployed a total of 75,000 police personnel as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts that the cyclone to make landfall by Thursday evening. The police personnel was drawn from local police, armed reserve, TN Special police and Home Guards, said Tamil Nadu Director General of Police C Sylendra Babu in a statement.

According to a recent update by the IMD, "The Depression over SW BoB lay centred at 0830hrs IST today about 130 km east-southeast of Chennai and 150 km east-northeast of Puducherry. To move west-northwestwards and cross north Tamil Nadu & adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts around Chennai during the evening of today."

250 special teams of police have been deployed along with the 350 personnel of the Coastal security group with rescue boats, Sylendra Babu said in a statement.

Several areas in Chennai including Kolathur, the constituency of Chief Minister MK Stalin are inundated. People from low-lying areas have been evacuated. State Disaster Response Force with rescue boats, wood cutting machines, and drilling machines have also been deployed.

Meanwhile, the Greater Chennai Traffic Police in a statement announced the closure of 11 subways and seven roads that have been submerged in water due to incessant rains.

 

Meanwhile, almost the entire South Chennai area has reported power failure mostly due to cable fault and feeder trappings, a statement from The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) said. In several places, Tangedco has shut down the service as a precautionary measure.

Tripping in the main feeder from the Perungadi substation has caused power cuts in areas served under the Information technology corridor, it said.

Velachery, Anakaputhur, Shankar Nagar in Pammal, Basant Nagar, Taramani, and Adayar have been shut down of power as a precautionary measure due to waterlogging and inundation.

Several families from T- Nagar, Alwarpet, West Mambalam areas have shifted to business hotels in the city following long power cuts and waterlogging. Internet failure at homes has also led to people shifting stay to hotels.

Manonmani G, a software engineer at West Mambalam, said that she shifted her family to a business hotel after the overhead tanks dried up following a power shortage. She said, "With rains and power cuts predicted this week, we will stay at the hotel and return home only after the water recedes. We have taken two rooms and are comfortable now and I can work with internet functioning smoothly."

People are willing to shell out as much as Rs 3,000 to 4,000 for a comfortable stay and with the availability of food, most are treating this as a vacation from the daily routine.

(With inputs from IANS)