FIRST PERSON ACCOUNT: Chief Minister Jayalalithaa talking to residents of a flood-affected area in Chennai on Sunday. — Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

CHENNAI: Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said on Sunday that the State Government had organised relief measures on a war footing. Since the heavy downpour had stopped, "from now on, we expect the water should recede" in the affected areas.

Ms. Jayalalithaa, who visited the worst-hit areas in and around Chennai for over three hours, assured the people that the Government would extend all necessary help to them.

She told reporters that Chennai city and the adjoining areas had been battered for a fourth time this season, leading to an unprecedented situation.

The downpour on December 2 was massive, leading to the flooding.

Ms. Jayalalithaa said that the Adyar and Cooum rivers had been carefully regulated. "Advance warning has been given in the print and electronic media about the flooding in Cooum and Adyar rivers, asking people in low-lying areas to shift to safer places. Evacuation has been undertaken on a major scale."

In Chennai alone, 140 relief centres were opened; so far, 75,000 persons had been evacuated. A total of 3.8 lakh food packets were distributed on Saturday, and over five lakh on Sunday.

Electricity supply

Electricity supply had been restored to all feeders. Except for a few distribution transformers in the waterlogged areas, which had been shut down as a preventive measure, normality had been restored. Milk supply, bus transport and drinking water supply were normal. Medical teams were covering all those affected.

The Chief Minister visited Velachery, Kotturpuram, Choolaimedu, Mehta Nagar, Anna Nagar, Madipakkam and Saidapet.

Besides listening to the flood victims, she interacted with Chief Secretary N. Narayanan, Commissioner for Revenue Administration R. Santhanam, Chennai Corporation Commissioner M.P. Vijayakumar and other officials about relief measures.

Ms. Jayalalithaa, who met the flood victims at a relief centre in Gandhi Mandapam, said the Government would provide textbooks and notebooks free of cost to all children. Pending the issue of new ration cards, the Government would distribute the relief package to all those affected irrespective of whether they had ration cards or not.

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