IAS officers to be in-charge of Rain-Relief

Tamil Nadu Government on Saturday night announced the appointment of 10 IAS officers to co-ordinate flood relief works in rain-ravaged Chennai which had been witnessing heavy downpour for the past two days throwing normal life out of gear.

With the low-lying areas inundated in several parts of the city, the Government also ordered shifting of residents from affected places, an official press release said.

Local Administration Minister M K Stalin, who reviewed the flood and rain situation in the city with top revenue and police officials, instructed the Public Works Department to stock enough sand bags to plug breaches if reported in the rivers, canals and reservoirs in the city.

He also asked the fire services and police to keep plastic boats ready to rescue marooned people.
The minister gave instructions to remove uprooted trees from roads besides pumping out water for the smooth movement of traffic in the city.

Cooum, Adyar rivers and other waterways in the city should be desilted to avoid stagnation of water, he added.

Chennai city and its suburbs had been witnessing heavy rains since two days and many areas were under knee-deep water. In many places, flood waters created traffic bottlenecks.