Some relief as the sun shines in Chennai again

Chennai: Finally, there's some good news for the rain-battered city.

Sun is shining bright on Chennai and the deep depression in Bay of Bengal that was threatening to strike the Tamil Nadu coast has fizzled.

However, the Met Department has predicted widespread rains for the state and Pondicherry for the next two days.

It will also bring rains to Tiruvallur and Cuddalore districts in Tamil Nadu and Chittoor, Prakasam, Guntur and Nellore districts in Andhra Pradesh.

For many families in Chennai, the relief centres are the only roof over their heads.

Since heavy rainfall flooded Nochinagar in November, Tirunavukkarasu has been living in a corporation scholl building with his four children, wife and brother's family.

"I feel scared to go home. We went home two days ago, but when it rained again we rushed back immediately", he says.

Many such relief centers around the city provide shelter to flood affected residents.

Even though the government was prompt in starting relief efforts, but it is now buckling under the pressure of the incessant rain.

The distribution of relief material is becoming increasingly irregular. "We were sitting outside in the rain for two hours yesterday. They didn't even open the gate", says a distraught Tirunavukkarasu.

His wife Deepa says, "My husband can't work because he broke his leg while collecting relief. Sometimes, I feel like committing suicide."

Her son added that he had not been able to go to his school for the past two months as the school is shut due to the heavy rains.

The people are angry and the frustration has now spilled out of Chennai into other areas.

People from 11 villages in Trichy blocked National Highway 45 — leading to Chennai — for over five hours on Monday, which led to a traffic jam on the busy highway and a number vehicles were left stranded.

The enraged protestors were demanding compensation for the flood victims and left only after getting a written undertaking from the collector that the compensation would be paid immediately.

Meanwhile, the Met department has forecast that rain or thundershowers are likely to occur at many places over North Coastal Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, South Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema.