Chennai, Tamil Nadu News Highlights: After nearly five days of rainfall battered the city, which according to meteorologists was five times more than normal, residents can now breathe a sigh of relief as the intensity of rain is likely to be less for the next four days.
However, Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts of Tamil Nadu are likely to receive heavy rainfall today and tomorrow (November 14 and 15).
Mayiladutharai, Nagapattinam, Karaika, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai and Salem are likely to receive isolated heavy rainfalls on Sunday.
On Saturday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin visited rain-affected regions for the seventh consecutive day to provide relief measures. The CM commenced his assessment from Kurunjipadi Panchayat Union in Cuddalore district and later visited Adoor Agaram as well as the tsunami residential colony in Tharangampadi and Kesavanpalayam. He distributed rice, blankets and essentials to the affected people and also house-site pattas worth Rs 5.22 lakh to 18 Adi Dravidar families, PTI reported.
Meanwhile, a 65-year-old man, who runs a children’s home in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district, has been arrested on charges of sexually harassing minor children, Aladi police said. The accused, identified as Jesudass Raja, also serves as the correspondent of a private school at Virudachalam in the district.
Continuing with the declining trend of fresh Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu, 20 districts reported infections below 10, while the state's tally went up to 27,14,830 with 805 being added on Sunday, the Health department said. As many as 11 people succumbed to the virus pushing the death toll in the state to 36,284, a medical bulletin said. Recoveries outnumbered new infections with 929 people getting discharged in the last 24 hours, aggregating to 26,68,930 leaving 9,616 active infections. A total of 1,03,684 samples were tested in the last 24 hours, pushing the cumulative number of specimens examined to 5,26,46,187. --PTI
Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi on Sunday asked the doctor community to create awareness about organ donation and transplants, which was very low. The people should also come forward to utilise the Chief Minister's Health Insurance Scheme for such treatments, Poyyamozhi said after inaugurating a paediatric multi-organ transplant facility at GEM Hospital here. Stating that Tamil Nadu has administered the highest number of Covid-19 vaccines in India, he said Chief Minister M K Stalin was taking all efforts to combat the disease. While education was important for children's future, their health was also equally important, he said. --PTI
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin distributed flood relief to affected people in several areas and inaugurated special medical camps here on Sunday. Continuing the flood relief initiatives and inspection of areas to drain stagnated rain water and carry out repairs, Stalin distributed relief packs that contained rice, milk, bread, biscuits, drinking water, blankets and traditional mats ('Pai' in Tamil-used for sleeping), to the affected people. The Chief Minister, inaugurated special monsoon medical camps here at Nehru Mandapam area and another location and interacted with people following distribution of assistance. --PTI
The current spell of Intense rainfall over Kerala and south Tamil Nadu is likely to continue today on and reduce thereafter. A low-pressure area has developed over central parts of Andaman Sea, the India Meterological Department said in a statement.
So far, 3,169 persons from 1,002 families stranded in inundated areas have been temporarily relocated to 60 rescue centres. It includes 1,567 women, 1,015 men and 588 children. A total of 72 huts were damaged in the last 24 hours. While 10 were fully damaged, 62 were partly damaged. Kanyakumari district recorded an average rainfall of 109.53mm in 24 hours till 8am today. The district recorded 100.48mm in the previous 24 hours till 8am on Saturday and 77mm from 8am on Thursday to 8am on Friday.
Chennai is flooded. The north-east monsoon that has been hovering ominously over Tamil Nadu has brought with it the highest volume of rainfall within 24 hours in the last five years. It has also revived memories of the devastating Chennai floods of 2015, a collective trauma that its residents are yet to outlive.
In the last two decades, floods in South Asia have become urban — erasing the hubris that for long had separated city and country. Floods recur in major cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Dhaka, Karachi and Kathmandu, and accompany high-intensity rainfall events. In October this year, buses have floated down flooded roads in Hyderabad, while in Bengaluru, India’s first “greenfield” international airport got inundated, reclaimed by the water it had hoped to displace and divert with concrete. Read More
Continuing his tirade against the DMK government in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK joint coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday said it had failed to act ahead of the monsoon resulting in several areas under sheets of water which would also lead to contamination and communicable diseases.
AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam urged the Tamil Nadu government to convene an all-party meeting and take a unanimous decision on the Mullaperiyar issue following the Kerala government’s revocation of permission for strengthening the dam. Panneerselvam, who is from the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border region where the Mullaperiyar dam is situated, asked Chief Minister M K Stalin to take the matter to the Supreme Court and not hold any more talks with the neighbouring state. Read More
Illegal mining of minerals, worth several thousand crores of Rupees, went on unnoticed till 2016 in the three southern end coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, the Amicus-Curiae informed the Madras High Court on Friday. Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanniakumari are the three districts where the AC's report alleged that illegal mining of valuable minerals were being quarried unabated. The report stated that raw sand, garnet, ilmenite, rutile, zircon, sillimanite and leucoxene had been extracted in large quantities by the mining operators and a substantial part thereof in a clandestine or unlawful manner, without reporting the same. The bench also noted that though some of the appearing mining operators objected to the report, it appears that the activity had gone unnoticed over a long period of time and might not have received adequate attention from the State government. The report was submitted by advocate V Suresh, who was appointed as the Amicus Curiae earlier by the court. (PTI)
The principal of a school in Coimbatore was on Saturday booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for not acting on a complaint from a student who died by suicide after a sexual assault by a teacher, police said. The school head is now absconding and two special police teams were set up to trace her. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M K Stalin expressed grief over the student's death and promised stringent action against the culprits. He said the act of "some human beasts" has taken away a life. "Schools should ensure sexual assaults do not happen. (we) will arrest the culprits and bring them before the law... will ensure the safety of women," he said in a tweet. Earlier today, a huge protest was held seeking the arrest of two more persons in connection with the death of the 17-year-old student and the teacher has been remanded in 15 days custody, the police said. A suicide note purportedly written by the victim blamed two other persons, including the school principal, for not acting on her complaint, they said. (PTI)
Forest officials in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district rescued a four-year-old leopard, which fell into an open well in Kotagiri Saturday. The animal is believed to have fallen into the well late on Friday night. Tamil Nadu Chief Wildlife Warden Shekhar Kumar Niraj said district forest officials and range officers immediately reached the spot. “Dr Rajesh (Veterinarian, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve) was also present. It took about four hours to rescue the animal and it was later put in a cage. More than 15 forest officials and other staff members, including local police personnel, were involved in the operation because we also needed to cordon off the area,” he added. Read more
A four-year-old leopard that fell inside a well in Kotagiri near Nilgiris has been rescued. The doctors are providing treatment to the animal. It is currently placed in a cage and set to be released into the forest cover soon. @IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/sbkw1bOi5P
The issue pertaining to the 126-year-old Mullaperiyar dam is a matter of “continuous supervision”, the Supreme Court said on Saturday and asked the Tamil Nadu government to keep the seepage data ready for the court’s perusal, if required. A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and C T Ravikumar observed that there should not be any adversarial approach in the matter and it would look into the issues and then take a call. The counsel appearing for the petitioner, who has raised issues including on seepage data, said the matter relates to lives and properties of about 50 lakh people and while five districts of Tamil Nadu need water, five districts of Kerala need protection. Read more
The Regional Meteorological Department Chennai has predicted heavy rainfall over Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts of Tamil Nadu over the next two days (November 14 and 15). It has also predicted heavy rain over isolated places over delta districts, Pudukottai and Salem districts for Sunday.
At Adoor Agaram, Stalin stepped into a paddy field and assessed the submerged crop. He interacted with the farmers and provided a financial aid of Rs 30,000 to each of those who lost their cows in the heavy rains, according to an official release here. An assistance of Rs 16,000 was extended to farmers who lost their calves. Later, the Chief Minister visited the farmlands in Puthur village in Sirkazhi in Mayiladuthurai and enquired with the farmers about the damage. He inspected the agriculture and horticulture crops submerged in water and viewed the displayed photographs on the extent of destruction. He interacted with the people at the tsunami residential colony in Tharangampadi and Kesavanpalayam and distributed relief. The Chief Minister visited a special medical camp and enquired with the doctors there about the treatment being provided to the people. Also, he went to Karungani and Arunthavapulam areas in Nagapattinam district besides Thiruvarur and Thanjavur districts. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday visited the Cauvery delta districts to take stock of the damage caused by the rains to agriculture and horticulture crops. The Chief Minister who commenced his assessment from Kurunjipadi Panchayat Union in Cuddalore district, interacted with the residents and inspected the areas inundated at Maruthi Nagar in Arangamangalam panchayat. He distributed rice, blankets and essentials to the affected people and also house-site pattas worth Rs 5.22 lakh to 18 Adi Dravidar families. Also, he issued orders sanctioning Rs 2.10 lakh to facilitate the 18 beneficiaries to construct greenhouses. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority on Saturday tweeted that 20,000 cusecs of water from the Perunchani dam and 15,000 cusecs from the Pechiparai dam are being released into Kuzhithurai river in Kanyakumari as heavy rainfall in the Kodayar hills had led to high inflow into the dams. "Currently, the Kuzhithurai river has about 35,000 cusecs already. We estimate the river flow to increase to 45,000 cusecs by night because of this increased release from dams," the disaster management authority said.
A huge protest was held in Coimbatore on Saturday seeking the arrest of two more persons in connection with the death of a sexually assaulted student by suicide even as the teacher allegedly involved in the offence has been remanded in 15 days custody, police said on Saturday. A suicide note purportedly written by the victim of the sexual assault blamed two other persons, including the school principal, for not acting on her complaint, said the police. Meanwhile, the police reportedly gathered evidence of the teacher sending the girl obscene messages and their conversation from her mobile phone. The 17-year-old girl on Thursday hanged herself in her house as she was yet to overcome the trauma of the sexual abuse that took place in April last. (PTI)
The Greater Chennai Corporation on Saturday carried out anti-mosquito fogging to prevent vector-borned diseases following waterlogging in several areas. In a tweet, the civic body stated that 287 portable fogging machines and 479 battery operated sprayers, along with other equipment had been employed.
Anti-mosquito fogging will be focused in #Chennai to prevent vectorborne diseases. Equipment used👇 PortableFogging machines: 287 MiniFoggingMachines:12 PowerSprayers:167 CompressionSprayers:256 Batt.OperatedSprayers:479 VehicleMountedFogging:68#ChennaiCorporation#ChennaiRains pic.twitter.com/tDGhTrK39f
The Opposition AIADMK in Tamil Nadu on Saturday urged the state government not to heed Kerala's proposal on a new dam at Mullaperiyar and wanted an all-party meeting to discuss the next course of action. AIADMK Coordinator O Panneerselvam said the Kerala government cancelling an order issued by its official for felling of trees to take up strengthening work at Baby Dam and the action against him for it were against the Supreme Court ruling on the dispute. He appealed to Chief Minister M K Stalin to ensure withdrawal of the rescinding of the order. (PTI)
As of 10 am on Saturday, Kanyakumari district's Kannimar had recorded 14 cm of rainfall. The rainfall data of other areas is as follows:
Rainfall data in #Kanyakumari as of 10 am: Kannimar 14 cm, Suralacode 13 cm, Thuckalay 13 cm, Perunchani Dam 12 cm, Eraniel 10 cm, Nagercoil 10 cm, Kuzhithurai 9 cm, Chittar 9 cm, Kottaram 9 cm, Pechiparai 9 cm, Mylaudy 7 cm, Bhoothapandy 7 cm. #TNRains
During the heavy rains through the week here and other regions of Tamil Nadu not only inflatable boats, but preparedness, determination and presence of mind came in handy for personnel including policemen and women, civic and forest workers who rescued people, animals and snakes. When a resident here was about to be washed away in floods, being caught in a gush of whirling flood water amid pounding rains, alert armed reserve police personnel rescued him despite challenges and by sheer determination.
READ | From people to snakes, rescue galore in Tamil Nadu amid intense rains
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin who visited the rain-battered districts of Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram on Friday sprang a surprise by briefly stopping to sip tea and interact with the public. Also, he interacted with sanitary workers involved in clearing the silt in the inundated areas.
Like Chennai, both the neighbouring districts were battered by the rains which inundated several areas. The administration launched prompt measures to evacuate the affected people to relief camps and in bailing out water from the marooned areas.
READ | Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin inspects rain-battered areas, sips tea, interacts with people
Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Friday said 56 of 84 water tanks in the Union territory have reached their full capacities owing to the recent rainfall. He added that Puducherry has received 184.1 cm rainfall till now this year, while it usually gets annual rainfall measuring 130 cm. The chief minister said 15 cm rainfall was recorded in the last two to three days and cabinet ministers, MLAs have been dispatched to the affected areas to provide relief measures.
While addressing media persons, Rangasamy said around 1,000 hectares of paddy crop have got submerged in Puducherry and Karaikal. He added that as many as 25 houses have also been damaged owing to incessant rains.
READ | 56 water tanks in Puducherry have reached full capacity owing to recent rains: CM N Rangasamy