Chennai: In a major relief to the flood-hit capital of Chennai, the Airports Authority of India today said that domestic flight operations would resume at the Chennai airport beginning 6am Sunday morning.
Torrential rains too subsided partially allowing rescue teams to step up their efforts.
The districts of Chennai, Cuddalore, Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur in Tamil Nadu are the worst-hit from the rain and floods. Here are 10 major developments of the day so far.
1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 2 lakh for next of kin of the deceased victims in the state. An ex-gratia relief of Rs 50,000 has also been sanctioned from PMNRF for those who were seriously injured.
2. The Airport Authority of India has said that domestic flight operations from the Chennai airport will resume from 6 am Sunday morning.
Technical flights carrying relief material also began operating from the airport today.
3. Train services to and from Chennai will be restored to normalcy by midnight Saturday, the Southern Railways informed today.
Special inter-state trains have been announced to clear the large number of stranded travellers. Also, local train services resumed today between Egmore-Tambaram.
4. A total of 50 teams of the National Disaster Response Force have helped rescue 16,000 people to safety in the state. OP Singh, DG, NDRF, said that this is their biggest deployment in a flood so far.
5. A meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) was held here under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha to review the flood situation in the state and take stock of the relief measures being done by multiple agencies.
6. The state-run AAVIN has said milk supply would reach full capacity by tomorrow in Chennai.
Lakhs of people dependent on AAVIN were forced to pay exorbitant rates to get milk from various sources due to shortage of the commodity.
7. Revenue Department has extended the last date for payment of excise and service taxes in Tamil Nadu to December 20 in view of unprecedented rains which have disrupted normal life in Chennai and other areas.
8. Army Chief General Dalbir Singh today conducted a recce of the flood-hit state today and said the troops would continue rescue efforts till it was required by the administration.
9. The IAF has put in 13 helicopters, C17s and C130s for relief and rescue operations in Chennai following the flooding, Indian Air Force, Southern Air Command, Senior Air Staff Officer, Air Marshal P N Pradhan said.
10. People continued to reel under a severe shortage of drinking water. Authorities fear groundwater facilities may be contaminated in several areas.
Water tankers have been pressed to bring drinking water to places. Lack of supplies and electricity continues to pose a challenge.
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