Heavy rains lash Puducherry, normal life hit

Puducherry recorded 13.8 cm rainfall between 8.30 AM and 1 PM Thursday. Schools and college here and in Karaikal remained closed due to the incessant showers.

Chief Minister N Rangasamy visited the rain ravaged residential colonies and explained to the people about the steps taken to alleviate their sufferings. District Collector Purva Garg who visited various rain-affected villages along with officials of the Revenue, Local Administration and other departments Thursday, said in a release that since the onset of the north-east monsoon on October 26, Puducherry has recorded 68.2 cm rainfall.

The Collector said Puducherry received heavy rains since Wednesday under the influence of low pressure area over the south-east and adjoining south west Bay of Bengal.

Control rooms were operating responding to the calls for help from the public, he added.

A young resident of Madukarai village near here drowned in the floods in Malattar river today. The Collector said the personnel of Fire Service Department retrieved the body in coordination with scuba divers of the Fisheries Department.

Garg said 62 huts were damaged due to the heavy downpour in Puducherry and 27 houses bore the brunt of the torrential rain. She said that 194 relief shelters were opened to accommodate those affected.

An official said that food packets were distributed to the people accommodated in the centres. One team of National Disaster Response Force was positioned in Puducherry to respond in case of any emergency.

Karaikal experienced heavy rains and all precautionary measures were taken to prevent damage.

Home and Education Minister A Namassivayam had declared a holiday for all schools and colleges in Puducherry and Karaikal regions on Thursday due to incessant rain.

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The Chief Minister had announced various relief measures a few days ago when heavy rain started pounding Puducherry. He had also announced that cash relief of Rs 5,000 would be distributed to each of the families below the poverty line. Fishermen, construction workers and agricultural labourers would also be handed a similar relief to mitigate the sufferings they suffered because of heavy rain, he had said.

Several residential colonies in and around Puducherry were inundated. The Public Works Department has come out with a master plan to repair the roads with an investment of Rs 500 crore, sources said.

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