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Rain continues to lash Pondy

Special Correspondent

Ponds in villages being recharged, Ousteri lake filling up PMC alleges poor construction caused the collapse of the causeway across Arasalar on Karaikal- Nagapattinam route

Pondicherry: The Union Territory of Pondicherry has been experiencing widespread rain for the second successive day on Wednesday, and major irrigation tanks have recorded good inflow.

An official source in the Public Works Department said that for last two days the total rainfall recorded here under the impact of the Bay depression was around 16 cm.

The desilting of tanks ahead of the monsoon has helped the water bodies to get good inflow. The source said that the ponds in most of the villages were also being recharged and once a nearby tank got its full capacity of water the overflowing water could be diverted to the ponds. Pondicherry has a total of 132 ponds spread over different villages. The villagers were diverting the water into the ponds in villages like Tirubuvanai, Tiruvandarkoil, Madagadipet and other commune panchayat limits here.

The Ousteri tank, one of the few ancient and sprawling water body on the Pondicherry-Tirukanur route, has a water level of 2.42 feet against a height of 3.5 feet.

The Suthukeni point is its feeder channel and with the intensive rain for a few days now the flow of rainwater into Ousteri was improving.

Man washed away

Pakkiri, a 30-year-old resident of Sivaranthagam village in Mangalam police limits near Pondicherry was washed away around noon on Wednesday when he attempted to cross a causeway.

Police sources said that the villager was dragging his motorcycle in a bid to reach Ariyur village through the causeway, which was in spate.

The body was traced a few hours later and was rushed to the government hospital for post mortem.

The general secretary of the Pondicherry State unit of the Puduchery Munnetra Congress (PMC) V.K.Ganapathy (hailing from Karaikal district) has called upon the Lt Governor M M Lakhera to order an enquiry into the design and poor construction of the causeway across Arasalar on the Karaikal-Nagapattinam route.

The causeway had to be replaced every now and then after collapse during the last few months after the damage caused to the 100 year old bridge during tsunami last year Mr Ganapathy said.

The first causeway was constructed at a cost of Rs 44 lakhs was washed away by the floods recently.

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA A. M. Krishnamoorthy has urged the administration to make an immediate assessment of the damage caused by the rain to huts and farmers.

Addressing newsmen here on Wednesday, he said that in his constituency of Reddiarpalayam alone, 200 huts had collapsed. Roads were flooded ar Paavanar Nagar, Bhoomianpet, Jeevanantha Nagar and Annai Theresa Nagar.

He demanded Rs. 5 crores for restoration at Reddiarpalayam.

The rain left the daily wagers without any work. Hence, each family should be given Rs. 2,000 and 25 kg of rice, he said.

The relief of Rs. 4,000 announced by the Chief Minister for a hectare of crop lost was meagre; it should be increased to Rs. 25,000.

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