The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Monsoon rains, flood fury ravage Rock City

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 26, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Monsoon rains, flood fury ravage Rock City

R. Rajaram

Colonies off Kuzhmani Road and Vayalur Road and Melachinthamani worst-affected; traffic thrown out of gear; Chathiram bus stand badly hit; people moved to safer places

TIRUCHI: Normal life was thrown out of gear as several parts of Tiruchi city remained water-logged following heavy rains late on Monday night and floods caused by heavy flow in the Cauvery river, on Tuesday.

Several residential colonies were marooned due to breach in the canals forcing people to take shelter in safer places.

The low-lying areas bore the major brunt. The worst hit were colonies situated off Kuzhmani Road and Vayalur Road and parts of the busy Melachinthamani where water entered the apartments in the ground floor.

The rains and the flood caused considerable damage to city roads leading to chaos at the Chathiram bus stand, a major terminus for city and mofussil buses.

The condition was so bad that floodwater inundated several commercial establishments.

Traffic congestion around Chathiram bus stand added to the misery making it difficult for the general public to carry on with their normal business.

A portion of the road over bridge near Salai Road collapsed due to the rains.

Traffic on the busy Karur highway was disrupted for sometimeafter a huge tamarind tree fell near Sirugamani.

Elsewhere in the district, many people residing in low-lying areas shifted to safer places.

Meanwhile, an official press release issued here on Tuesday said around 1,500 people of Seelaipillaiyarputhur and Sriramasamuthiram in Kattuputhur were evacuated and shifted to schools and marriage halls.

Similarly, around 250 residents of Arasanur and Varadharajapuram villages were shifted to a choultry at Thottiyam.

Over 3,000 people have been accommodated in 10 common relief shelters cross the district the release said adding that arrangements have been made to provide food to them.

Minister inspects

flood-hit areas

The Labour Welfare Minister, P. Annavi, visited several flood-hit areas in the district and directed the Public Works Departments officials to strengthen bunds along the Cauvery river course.

Girl killed in wall collapse

An eight-year old girl was killed in a wall collapse at Keezhmarimangalam near Lalgudi in the district in the wee hours on Tuesday.

The victim has been identified as Akila, a third standard student of a panchayat school.

The girl's father, Devadas, sustained injuries in the incident.

Police said Devadas and his daughter were fast asleep in a thatched house when a compound wall situated near their hut collapsed and fell on them, killing Akila on the spot.

The recent rains in the district had weakened the wall leading to it collapse, sources said.

The Lalgudi police have registered a case.

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