Chennai floods: Services pick up; airport resumes operations partially

Chennai, December 5

Advertisement

Rains eased up on Chennai on Saturday after days of relentless pummelling, but the city continued to struggle with acute scarcity of essential commodities as the metropolis began its slow journey back to normality. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who died in Tamil Nadu floods. Communication and train lines were restored partially but intermittent rains and overcast sky continued to trouble Chennai, with the Regional Meteorological Centre’s forecast spelling light showers for the city and suburbs over the next 24 hours.

Area Cyclone Warning Centre Director SR Ramanan coastal and southern districts of the state were likely to receive heavy rainfall and advised fishermen along the coastal belt against venturing into the sea.

Supply of milk and vegetables in the city picked up but remained expensive, with several residents complaining of scarcity. Mobile and internet services were restored partially in several parts of the city after days of communications shut down. Power supply is also being restored in phases.

Southern Railway announced that several interstate trains, including ones to Bengaluru and Mysore, would resume from Sunday. Local train services also resumed between Egmore and Tambaram.

Floodwaters receded in some parts but several areas of Chennai and suburbs remain under water.

Meanwhile, Army Chief General Dalbir Singh undertook an aerial survey of the worst affected areas and promised additional troops for rescue operations.

The Army has rescued up 5,500 people and moved them to safer places.

IAF, Southern Air Command, Senior Air Staff Officer, Air Marshal, P N Pradhan said the IAF has deployed 13 helicopters, C17s and C130s for relief and rescue operations in Chennai

Indian Oil Corporation claimed there was "no fuel or LPG shortage" in the city.

State government’s Aavin dairy said it would restore its supply by Sunday.

So far, 245 people have died in the heavy rains that pounded Tamil Nadu since the northeastern monsoon began on October 1. The deluge destroyed crucial road and rail links, shutdown the airport, snapped power and telecom lines and left lakhs of people stranded.

State government claims 3,50,000 people have moved to safer places since the northeast monsoon began.

Chennai airport resumes operations partially

Technical flights began to operate on Wednesday as Chennai airport resumed operations partially after three days of complete shutdown as the city struggled to cope with floods.

Domestic passenger flights will begin to operate on Sunday, although the runway can be used only as long as daylight lasts.

The DGCA will decide on when to make the airport fully operational on Sunday, Airports Authority of India said on Saturday.

Domestic flights will begin to operate from 6 am on Sunday, AAI said in a statement.

"DGCA will review the situation for night operations on Monday," the statement said.

Four ferry flights that were parked at Chennai airport departed for Delhi, Mumbai and Port Blair. One cargo flight Singcargo B747 also departed for Singapore via Bangalore.

Four commercial flights — two flights of Indigo and one each of Spicejet and Trujet — flew out from the Rajali Naval air station to evacuate 319 people.

Thirty-four aircrafts of various airlines were stranded at the airport due to floods. Chennai airport on Wednesday suspended flights until Sunday, but later declared airport fit for operating technical ferry and relief flights.

The aerodrome was cleared for limited daytime only operations, under visual meteorological conditions for technical ferry and relief flight from Chennai airport. It will be upgraded to all weather operations once systems were restored, an AAI statement said. Chennai airport was made available for technical, ferry and relief flights on Friday evening after runways and the taxiways were cleared of water.

On an average, Chennai airport handles 320 landings and departures. Some 20 international airlines and most of the domestic carriers operate from the airport. — PTI