CM Stalin declares rain holiday for schools, colleges; recommends work from home for Pvt firms on 16.10.2024

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday declared a rain holiday for schools and colleges in Chennai and three adjoining districts on October 16, following heavy monsoon rains that began pounding the state capital region on Monday morning.

After deputing his son and state deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi to go on field since last night, Chief Minister Stalin inspected the flow of flood water into Buckingham Canal from Gandhi Canal and Otteri Nalla and later announced holiday for schools and colleges in Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Chennai and Chengalpattu on Wednesday.

The Chief Minister also announced holiday for government offices and Public Sector Undertakings in the four aforesaid districts. However, essential services like police, fire and rescue services, local administration, dairy development, TWAD, hospitals, pharmacies, banks, financial institutions, electricity, transport of vegetables among essential commodities, metropolitan transport corporation buses, Chennai metro rail, MRTS, rail services, airports, fuel stations, hotels and restaurants and departments engaged in disaster relief would function as usual.

Other shops and commercial establishments would function as usual, a release issued by the state government said.

The Chief Minister also asked private firms to operate with skeletal staff or allow their employees to work from home on Wednesday owing to the heavy rainfall prediction.

68% above normal rainfall in the first half of October.

Pointing out that the state received 10.52 cm of rain between October 1 and 14, the government release said that the rainfall recorded was 68% above the normal rainfall and the state received 2.241 cm in the last 24 hours alone and Chennai city received an average 6.5cm in the last 24 hours.

Noting that Pudukottai and Tiruvallur with 13.4 cm and 10cm recorded maximum rainfall in the last 24 hours, respectively, the state government communique said that the Malar Colony in Zone 8 and Kolathur in Zone 9 received 9 cm each yesterday.

Stating that messages were sent to 85 lakh mobile phones through common alert protocol, the state government said that about 16 teams of SDRF comprising 444 personnel, 10 teams of NDRF and 89 rescue teams were ready for deployment.

Will be a frontline worker myself: CM

Earlier, the chief minister who inspected the flood relief works and performance of storm water drains in various spots of the city interacted with the conservancy workers of Greater Chennai Corporation and said that he would stand by the workers of the GCC as another frontline worker.

Sharing on his 'X' page images of his sipping tea along with the GCC workers during the inspection, Stalin said, "Sanitation workers, employees and officials of the corporation are the selfless people who, regardless of time, go on field during natural calamities like heavy rains to ease our hardships. I will always stand by them as a frontline worker."