Cuddalore still under water, thousands cut off

Inundation continues in many parts of the district, about 30,000 languish in relief camps and 1.25 lakh access food in 71 government centres.

People load a fishing vessel onto a lorry after a rescue operation at Tiruvottriyur in Chennai. The northern parts of the city have complained of neglect in relief. B. Jothi Ramalingam

Relief wo rks shifted to the next phase in Chennai with the government focussing on rehabilitation and controlling disease outbreaks, while in Cuddalore, vast tracts remained under water.

The flow of materials to Cuddalore was regulated, but thousands of residents in remote areas, cut off by waters, continued to complain that they were being left out.

In a major respite to the large rural population in Cuddalore, the district administration has restarted the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) with the labour force set to be utilised for unclogging waterways and sanitary work.

However, inundation continued in many parts of the district on Tuesday with about 30,000 persons languishing in relief camps and 1.25 lakh accessing food in 71 government centres.

The Hindu had reported on Tuesday about the flooding of close to an estimated 55,000 hectares of cropping land and how the lack of MNREGS works had made the rural population dependent on relief materials.

Senior IAS officer Gagandeep Singh Bedi, who is overseeing the relief operations in Cuddalore, said officials were instructed to provide work to at least 200 persons in every habitation. This would help put money in their hands to meet crucial expenses, the IAS officer said.

Officials said levels in all water bodies were under control. On Tuesday, parts of the district received mild rainfall.

Army sources said that in medical camps run on Monday and Tuesday, some villagers reported rain-related ailments like bacterial infection, cough and cold.

In Cuddalore town, inundation continued in Jothi Nagar, Surya Nagar, Ragavendra Nagar and Gnanambal Nagar.

Meanwhile in Chennai, the distribution of relief remained an issue, with the north of the city complaining of neglect. The government has opened several medical camps, restored all health centres affected by the floods, and appointed counsellors to handle post-traumatic stress disorder. As relief came pouring in to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, actor Rajnikanth, in solidarity with the people of Chennai, urged fans not to celebrate his birthday on December 12, but instead spend the day constructively for relief activities.