Normal life was hit in the southern districts of Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Kanniyakumari as heavy rain lashed the region on Sunday.
Barring the early morning flight from Chennai to Thoothukudi, which arrived at 7.25 a.m. and returned, all other flights from Chennai were either diverted to Madurai or cancelled, officials said. The 11. 55 a.m. flight from Chennai was diverted to Madurai, while the 4 p.m. flight from Chennai was cancelled. The 2.05 p.m. flight from Bengaluru returned, officials added.
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In Tirunelveli, rainwater entered the Government Medical College and Hospital premises, officials said, adding that many low-lying areas were inundated.
Bus stand, railway stations and uzhavar sandhais in these districts were inundated. In Kanniyakumari, AIADMK MLA Thalavai N. Sundaram and his team, who were travelling on the highway, rescued a group of “Ayyavazhi” pilgrims, from Tenkasi district, who were caught in a flood near Kalluvilai. The pilgrims were helped in getting out of a passenger van, and the vehicle was pulled to safety. He also visited the Tsunami fishermen colony in Kanniyakumari and helped the needy, a press release said.
Following heavy rainfall, Courtallam waterfalls was closed to tourists. With many persons staying indoors owing to the continuous rain, the entire falls including the Five Falls and Main Falls wore a deserted look on Sunday.
As a precautionary measure, all educational institutions in Thoothukudi district would remain closed on Monday. Collector G. Lakshmipathi, in a press release, has announced this following forecast of moderate to heavy rainfall by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Examinations scheduled for Monday shall be conducted another day, the release added.
Most suburban locations in Thoothukudi district were affected by the rain. Sattankulam recorded 258 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, while Srivaikuntam received 200 mm and Tiruchendur recorded 121 mm.
Though the district administration had opened close to 100 relief centres, public were experiencing difficulties in reaching the camps from their dwellings as waterlogging forced them to stay indoors. At least 20 people from Anna Nagar in Sattankulam were rescued and taken to the nearest relief centre, officials said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has deputed Ministers and senior IAS officers to monitor the flood situation and relief works in the four districts.
An official release said Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena held a virtual meeting with Collectors of these districts and urged them to take all steps to avoid damage and loss.
As per the Chief Minister’s direction S. Nagarajan, Land Administration Commissioner and former collector of Kanniyakumari, has been sent to the district to monitor the situation and guide officials. R. Selvaraj, Secretary, Tamil Development and Information Department, will be in charge of Tirunelveli district. B. Jothi Nirmala, Secretary, Commercial Taxes will be monitoring the situation in Thoothukudi district while Shunchonngam Jatak Chiru,Secretary, Social Welfare and Women Empower Department has been deputed to Tenkasi.
Besides, G. Prakash, Additional Revenue Administration Commissioner, P. Ponniah, Director, Rural Development, Kiran Gurrala, Director of Town Panchayats, S. Sivarasu, Director of Municipal Administration will camp in these districts.
Fishermen in these districts have been asked not to venture into the sea for fishing.
