Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 26 (ANI): DMK leader TKS Elangovan on Monday criticised the Tamil Nadu government over post-rain damage in Chennai, alleging that it was not concerned about the public and claiming that the previous DMK government’s work had helped prevent waterlogging in several parts of the city.
“This government will not tackle anything. Due to the work done by the DMK govt, today we don’t see waterlogging in many places in Chennai. They don’t care about the public; they are working for TVK criminals and against the DMK,” Elangovan told ANI here.
Earlier, heavy rain lashed several parts of Tamil Nadu’s Thiruvarur district early on Monday morning, disrupting daily routines and causing severe hardship to students as schools and colleges remained open despite adverse weather warnings.
Students were seen heading to schools drenched in the downpour during morning hours, struggling through persistent rain and waterlogged roads.
Despite the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a forecast predicting heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds across the region, no official holiday was announced for educational institutions in the district.
The decision to keep schools and colleges functional amid the worsening weather has drawn sharp reactions from parents, who expressed deep concern over their children’s safety and well-being.
Citing the weather department’s warnings of continued wet spells and gusty winds, parents urged the district collector and local administration to review the situation and promptly declare a holiday for schools and colleges.
Normal life in several low-lying areas of the delta district has been impacted as rain continues to pound the area, with residents and commuters navigating rain-lashed roads and sluggish traffic.
Tourists have been barred from visiting Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu amid a heavy rain warning as the northeast monsoon intensifies.
Police are monitoring the situation and turning back vehicles carrying tourists as a precautionary measure in view of the weather warning.
Meanwhile, the cyclonic storm over the east-central Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by midnight on Monday and further into a very severe cyclonic storm by October 27, Visakhapatnam Meteorological Department Director P.L.N. Murthy said.
“The cyclone is expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Visakhapatnam during the forenoon of October 28, with wind speeds of 115 to 125 kmph, gusting up to 140 kmph, at the time of landfall,” he said.
“The system is currently moving west-northwestwards, and heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is forecast across coastal Andhra Pradesh over the next 48 hours,” he said. (ANI)
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