Tamil Nadu rains: Around 800 train passengers were stranded at Srivaikuntam in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu due to flooding, said an official on Monday. The passengers of a Chennai-bound express train from the temple town of Tiruchendur were stranded for nearly 20 hours at Srivaikuntam, which is in the worst flood-hit region.
An official said that all efforts are being made to rescue the stranded passengers, and NDRF authorities have been alerted. The Tiruchendur-Chennai Egmore Express (Train No 20606) departed from Tiruchendur to Chennai at 20:25 hours on December 17.
800 passengers stranded
The train was stopped at Srivaikuntam railway station, approximately 32 km away from Tiruchendur, due to heavy rain and flooding, a railway official said. About 800 passengers are stranded, with approximately 500 at Srivaikuntam railway station and about 300 in a nearby school. The passengers could not, however, venture outside as the entire area was heavily inundated.
Meanwhile, the Southern Railway has announced the suspension of traffic on the Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur section, specifically between Srivaikuntam and Seydunganallur. The suspension is due to the ballast being washed away in floods, causing the track to be in a precarious condition with water flowing over the railway tracks.
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The incessant rainfall has led to severe waterlogging in parts of Tamil Nadu.
MK Stalin writes to PM Modi
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his appointment on December 19 to discuss rain and the flood situation in southern parts of the state. The Chief Minister has requested an appointment on Tuesday to deliberate on these matters with the Prime Minister.
"In order to deliberate on the extremely heavy rainfall and flooding in southern districts of Tamil Nadu, related damage and relief and rescue initiatives, Stalin has written to Modi seeking his appointment on Tuesday," an official release here said.
It is also to discuss expeditious release of Central funds to the state to tackle damage due to the recent rains in Chennai and nearby districts. Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi and Tirunelveli are the four southern districts hit by the very heavy rainfall including 95 CM at Kayalpattinam in Thoothukudi.
