Chennai: The meteorology department declared on Saturday, the onset of the northeast monsoon in southern parts of the country even as heavy rains threw life out of gear in the city.
“The southwest monsoon has completely withdrawn and northeast monsoon has set in over Kerala, TN, and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh as well as southern Karnataka,” said Dr S. Balachandran, director, regional meteorological centre, Chennai.
Traffic came to a standstill with vehicles finding it difficult to navigate the waterlogged roads. As incessant rain continued, traffic moved at a snail’s pace on Anna Salai, Poonamalee High Road, and GST road.
According to traffic police, regulating traffic at shopping hubs like T Nagar, Nungambakkam, Vadapalani, Purasawalkam was the most tedious with shoppers swarming these places for weekend shopping ahead of Deepavali.
Meanwhile, the civic body operated motors to drain waterlogged areas and also clear uprooted trees. Claiming that Friday’s downpour was “unprecedented”, officials said that water from the streets was now receding.
Traffic in the city came to a standstill for the second consecutive day on Saturday with vehicles finding it difficult to navigate the waterlogged roads. As incessant rain continued, traffic moved at a snail’s pace through arterial routes like Anna Salai, Poonamalee High Road, and GST road.
According to city traffic police, regulating traffic at shopping hubs in the city like T Nagar, Nungambakkam, Vadapalani, Purasawalkam was the most tedious with shoppers swarming these places for weekend shopping ahead of Deepavali.
In Koyambedu, the special buses operated ahead of Deepavali added to the traffic chaos, which led to vehicles stuck at the same place for hours together. The narrow stretches due to CMRL works there did not help commuters.
Apart from the arterial roads, major traffic junctions like Madhya Kailash, Vijayanagar near Velachery, Nelson Manickam Road saw traffic congestion till evening. “It’s the same scenario every year when it rains. What do you expect me to say?” said a traffic policeman on duty at Madhya Kailash signal.
In the evening, former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s return to the city added to the traffic chaos as the route from the airport to her Poes Garden residence was cordoned off with party cadres thronging the route.
“It took me close to two hours to reach my office at Ramapuram from home,” said Shelvin, a Kotturpuram resident. Tech savvy motorists took to the social media, posting pictures of submerged subways, congested traffic and roads, questioning the civic body’s effectiveness.
“On Nungambakkam High Road, it took an hour to cross a 400-metre stretch. If I avoid this, I wonder what roads are left to use,” read a tweet from a frustrated commuter. Southern suburbs like Madipakkam, Puzhuthivakkam and parts in Velachery were completely submerged.
The same was the case in Vyasarpadi, Basin Bridge and Perambur, according to residents there. With the Met department predicting rains for the next 24 hours, the best idea seems to be to stay indoors.
