Chennai: Normal life returned to most parts of Chennai with vehicles started running on the roads causing the usual traffic snarls in some localities and offices, colleges and schools reopening after a long weekend as the dark clouds that hung over the city dispersed, paving way for some sun shine on Monday.
However, in the areas that still reeled under the impact of the floods caused by Cyclone Michaung, officials and volunteers continued their mitigation work even as the government announced that relief material worth Rs.17.60 crore were distributed to the affected people.
Those relief materials that enabled the people who were in distress in the immediate aftermath of the deluge that displaced people from their homes and also damaged their belongings were collected for the 34 districts in the State at the Chennai Corporation office and then routed to the places that were affected.
The WhatsApp number announced by the government for donors to contact was used by several persons and philanthropists that Rs 50 lakh of relief material was mobilized through that process, an official press release said.
Among the articles that were given away to people were 10,77,000 water bottles, 3,02,165 loaves of bread, 13,08,847 biscuit packet, 73.4 tonnes of milk powder and 4,35,000 kg of rice and 23,200 kg of black grams for cooking purpose.
Other material included 82,400 bed sheets, lungis, nighties, plastic buckets, mugs, candles and matches, the press release said, adding that the distribution was done on the basis of the requests received at the Integrated Control Room set up at the Ripon Building in Chennai.
A private donor, Shriram Properties, alone provided relief to 2,500 families in three affected neighbourhoods around Tambaram and Guduvanchery through the local body authorities. Chairman and Managing Director of Shriram Properties, a leading real estate company, said that they strongly believed in working towards the welfare of communities where they operated.
Taking pot shots at those who were blaming the government for inaction and lethargy during the time of distress, State Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu said that the damage caused by the floods was limited only because of the precautionary measures taken by the present DMK government.
He was speaking to media persons at Anna Arivalayam, the DMK headquarters, when he said that all the affected places were returning to normal and that a major catastrophe was averted only because of the work done by the government ahead of the floods with the Chief Minister M K Stalin reviewing the progress of the work.
The relief of Rs 6000 announced by the Chief Minister to the affected people of Chennai, Kanchipuram, Thiruvallur and Kanchipuram districts had brought some cheer, he said and compared the latest flood disaster with the one that devastated the city in 2015.
In 2015, the then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had sought Rs 10,250 crore from the Union Government and wanted the floods to be declared as a national disaster to which foreign nations were prepared to extend help while in the present one the State was able to come out of it fast, thanks to the precautionary measures taken by the government.
The city returned to normal only after 10 days in 2015 and 289 deaths were reported then, he pointed out and also said that during the AIADMK rule successive natural disasters were handled clumsily without any sensitivity.
Meanwhile, a review meeting was held by the Water Resources Ministry, headed by the Minister concerned Duraimurugan, in which instructions were issued to the officials to brief the six member team of experts sent by the Union Government to assess the damages caused by the floods.
The team, which has been split into two will inspect the damages in various places. One Tuesday, the team studying the damages caused in north Chennai would inspect DeMellows Road junction, Pattalam, Pulianthope and Stephenson Bridge between 11.30 am and 12.30 pm. Between 1.30 pm and 3.30 pm, the team will visit Vadaperumbakkam, Manali and Tiruvottiyur.
The South Team will go to Vellacherry, Madipakkam, Narayanapuram Lake and Medavakkam Tank, in the morning between 11.30 and 1.00 pm and then inspect Perumumbakkam, Elcot IT Park, Okkiyum Madu, Tahiyur, Rajiv Gandhi Road, Mamallapuram Road and Kandigai from 2 pm to 4 pm.
