Red alert: Public holiday declared in Chennai, adjoining districts for Wednesday

Chennai, Oct 15 (IANS) In view of the heavy to extremely heavy rains and the red alert announced by the Regional Meteorological Centre, the Tamil Nadu government has declared a public holiday on Wednesday for Chennai and adjoining districts of the state.

A holiday has been declared for government offices and PSUs in Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, and Tiruvallur districts on Wednesday.

However, essential services of key government departments in these districts will continue to function. Shops and commercial establishments will remain open as per the state government circular.

An advisory has also been issued to private companies to allow their employees to work from home on Wednesday.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has directed officials to declare a holiday for schools and colleges in Chennai and adjoining districts on Wednesday due to the heavy to very heavy rains.

It is worth mentioning that the weather department has predicted 20.9 cm of rainfall in a single day on Wednesday, with a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal leading to these heavy to extremely heavy rains.

The Chennai Corporation has already begun operations to drain water from 300 locations affected by waterlogging.

Heavy rains continue in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, and Chengalpattu districts.

Several subways have been inundated in Chennai, and of the 22 subways, the Ganespuram Subway, Kilpauk Gengu Reddy Subway, Duraisamy Subway, Madley Subway, and Perambur Subway have been closed due to water stagnation.

Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, and ministers P.K. Sekhar Babu and Ma Subramanian, along with Chennai Corporation Mayor R. Priya, inspected several areas in the city affected by flooding due to heavy rains.

Udhayanidhi Stalin, while speaking to media personnel, said that the Greater Chennai Corporation had received more than 1,500 complaints regarding rain-related issues, of which 600 have already been resolved.

Chennai Corporation Mayor R. Priya told the media that the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) had already set up 300 relief centres, each capable of accommodating between 50 to 1,000 people.

She also mentioned that 35 community kitchens have been established in Chennai in light of the heavy rains and the potential displacement of residents from their homes.