PM Modi Visits Rain-Hit Chennai, Announces Immediate Relief of Rs 1000 Crore

The sun came out in Chennai on Thursday and the water level started receding in some areas. The Met department has said the low pressure will weaken over the next 48 hours.

A sharp fall in water levels of Adyar and Kumbh rivers aided rescue and relief operations that continued in full swing.

Announcing Rs 1,000 crores in relief over the Rs 940 crores announced earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, said, "The government of India will stand by the people of Tamil Nadu in their hour of need".

So far, the army and the National Disaster Response Force have rescued more than 7,000 people. But many are still marooned.

The rescue work has been rendered risky in some areas due to live electricity wires from broken poles that have fallen into the water. The state electricity board had suspended power as a precautionary measure.

The city is facing a huge shortage of food and essential items like milk and water. A one-litre packet of milk is being sold for Rs. 100 in some places. A bottle of mineral water costing Rs. 20, is being sold for Rs. 150. Vegetables like tomato and beans are being sold for Rs. 80 to Rs. 90 a kg.

Terming the situation in flood-hit Chennai as "very alarming", Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said, "It would not be an exaggeration to say that Chennai has become an island as it has been cut off from all national and state highways".

The Chennai International airport will remain closed till December 6. The Rajali naval air station at Arakkonam, 70 km west of Chennai, is functioning as a makeshift airport.

The Navy's amphibious carrier, INS Airavat, has been moved to Chennai with medical equipment, medicines and doctors. The ship is also taking 20 divers and swimmers and 15 boats.

Schools, colleges and offices have been forced to close and exams have been postponed. Telecom companies have offered free talk-time to their customers.