Rain halts traffic in Madurai, spoils paddy bags, affects salt pans

Madurai: The week may have begun cool and wet, bringing cheer to those at home but for commuters, it was a nightmare. Rainfall caused inundation in several parts of low-lying areas, which caused traffic jam for hours.

The rain also wreaked havoc on farmers in parts of Madurai, as the affected ones had kept stored paddy bags in procurement centres.

“The harvested stock of almost 60,000 paddy bags kept in procurement centres got drenched in rains and damaged, as they were left in an open area without tarpaulin cover,” lamented T Perumal, national vice president, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh in Vadipatti. “All the hours we toiled under the sun is now wasted.” On the other hand, tourism stakeholders in Kodaikanal and Dindigul were delighted in the wake of recent rains. Ramesh, a cab operator in Kodaikanal, said, “It was misty in the morning, and the prevailing weather is conducive to tourism. “Moreover, enquiries poured in from many tourists and most lodges had been booked for four days from April 14.” In Thoothukudi, salt production was affected due to the rains. “Production has been down by 60 per cent for several months this year. I don’t know how we’re going to recuperate from this loss,” rued S Petchimuthu, a manufacturer.

Rainfall in Kanyakumari cast a shadow over passenger ferry service from shore to Vivekanandar Rock and Tiruvalluvar statue. The service came to a halt for over an hour for safety reasons, sources said.