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Rivers in spate: Flood alert in Tamil Nadu districts

Officials ordered to gear up for evacuation in low-lying areas
Chennai: With rains continuing to lash north and western Tamil Nadu Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Tiruvannamalai and Kancheepuram district administrations have sounded flood alert.
With Thenpennai and Palar rivers endemic to eastern ghats in spate after two decades, the district collectors have ordered the revenue officials to gear up for evacuation in low lying areas.
The entire Kancheepuram also chocked as rainwater entered low lying areas of the district and in some main roads the public used ropes to ensure that they were not carried away by floods in areas located close to Maduranthagam, Sriperumbudur and Cheyyur that received heavy rains.
The revenue authorities monitoring the state control room at secretariat expressed concern that the number of rain related deaths would surge further as seven districts have sounded flood alerts.
Political commentator Sumanth Raman in a Facebook comment said that the Chennai weather office has failed to predict the deluge last night and this morning. The weather officials decided to play it safe.
“I once used to think that the Met office should be held accountable for their forecasts, at least for the severe weather they fail to predict. India is primarily to record the weather and not to predict it”, he said.
Scuffle over mayor visit to R K Nagar
A scuffle broke out between ruling AIADMK functionaries in the high profile R. K. Nagar constituency, represented by Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, in the presence of local administration minister S.P. Velumani on Friday during a monsoon review inspection.
The situation turned ugly, when a section of ward secretaries and corporation councilors shooed away Chennai Mayor S. Duraisamy who was accompanied by ministers B. Valarmathi and Gokula Indira during the inspection.
It all started when the Mayor’s convoy stopped for an inspection at Vaidyanathan bridge along with corporation staff. According to party sources, supporters of north Chennai district secretary P. Vetrivel and corporation zonal chairman Karthickeyan were interacting with local residents on Friday afternoon.
On seeing the mayor’s arrival, a few partymen who were sidelined by the Mayor’s office for recent corporation functions passed remarks at him. “Why visit R K Nagar now, what were you doing all these years. You never gave us roads, you hardly visited R K Nagar, only after Amma’s bypoll, things have changed now, go away.”
These remarks by partymen irked the Mayor’s personal security guard Yesuraj.
The retired policeman shot back and threatened the protestors with dire consequences adding to the verbal duel which led to exchange of blows between the Mayor’s aide and local AIADMK party workers. In the melee Yesuraj and Palanisamy (another aide of the Mayor), were attacked, when the duo shot back saying, “Mayor has
every right to inspect anywhere.”
Sensing trouble Gokula Indira and Valarmathi intervened and pacified the party workers, warning them to behave in public. Clueless, the local administration minister ensured that no one clicked pictures of intra-party fight.
Requesting not to be quoted, a local AIADMK councillor told DC that Duraisamy and Vetrivel were sulking for some time. Partymen and councillors who were close to Vetrivel were ignored by the Mayor’s office for corporation functions.
Friday’s scuffle was a result of factional feud between the two heavy weights. When contacted by DC, both Duraisamy and Vettrivel refused to
comment.

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( Source : deccan chronicle )
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