The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Travails of two travellers on the day sky opened up

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 30, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Travails of two travellers on the day sky opened up

Swahilya

Priya and Santosh G. didn't know what hit them

CHENNAI: When the city was caught unawares by a heavy downpour starting Wednesday night, passengers taking North-bound trains had no clue as to what was in store for them.

In the case of Priya G. and Santosh G., who were on their way to catch the Mumbai-Dadar Express, getting to Chennai Central station turned out to be a test of endurance.

Their friend agreed to pick them up from Nungambakkam and drop them off at the station.

"Though we are used to heavy water-logging in the interior by-lanes of Nungambakkam, this time around Nungambakkam High Road and the Poonamalee High Road were thoroughly inundated," said Santosh.

Water entered their car and Priya had little luck with taxis. Near Egmore, where the scene was appalling, and the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses that might have been able to negotiate the flooded road were nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, police diverted the traffic to other roads after noting that smaller vehicles were getting stuck in the water. Just near the station's entrance on Walltax Road, another sheet of water swamped the car.

Finally they reached the station and got into their compartment: only to be told that all trains had been cancelled after sitting in the compartment for nearly three hours.

After this ordeal, they somehow went to the station. But the duo had to face another major problem.

They waited in their compartment for three hours and by 10-45 a.m. they were told the trains were cancelled.

In the meantime, the friend who had dropped them off had her own set of problems to contend with trying to get back but managed to get by despite the car stalling with the help of some Good Samaritans.

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