With many vehicles having submerged in water, recovery vehicle operators are in high demand.
Unable to find one, Jayaprakash A. of MKB Nagar had to just leave his submerged car under four feet of water. Those who have found these operators are shelling out a lot of money for their services. From Mudichur to Anna Nagar, two vehicles come at a steep price, in most cases, at rates above Rs. 4,000 for ridiculously short .
Not just recovery vehicle operators, even plumbers, electricians and professionals specialising in house cleaning services are flooded with calls for the last one week.
S. Kannan, an electrician, based in Mint, said: “I get at least 10 calls from people enquiring about cost of repairs of motor pumps and washing machines. But, I am able to attend only five or six customers in a day. I charge up to Rs. 2,500 to repair a motor pump. I don’t hesitate to even travel to Tambaram or Pallikaranai to attend to repairs.”
Experts in desilting borewells in West Tambaram and Perungalathur are also said to be busy. D. Kalaivannan, a plumber based on West Tambaram, said “I am unable to find assistants to do difficult tasks like desilting borewells that have been contaminated. I charge up to Rs.1,500 for the work.”
Residents of areas where the flood damage has been extensive, find that they have to replace many items because they are beyond redemption.
G. Selvakumari, a resident of Perungalathur, says “My house has been under water for a month now. I will need at least Rs.2 lakh to repair my house, replace damaged doors, furniture and home appliances and repair my vehicle. I cannot spend on all of these at the same time,” she said.
(With additional reporting by T.Madhavan)
