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Rain relief work on, Chennai still inundated

    Chennai: Relief work continued in Chennai after heavy rains battered the city and brought life to a standstill. Almost all parts of southern India received heavy downpour, but Tamil Nadu was the worst hit, with many areas in Chennai remaining inundated and cut off. Several people could be seen wading through waist-deep water in some parts of the city. Thousands of people have also been evacuated from the low-lying areas of city and lodged at various relief centres. "People have been shifted to safer areas such as schools and other places. Everyone is being fed and everybody is satisfied... Even people who were not able to come to the relief centre, food packets were taken and handed over in their places where they reside. All these measures have been taken," said C Ponnaiyan, Minister for Finance, Tamil Nadu. A number of medical camps have also been set up in the city for the benefit of the evacuees. The relief, however, hasn't reached the remote parts of the city. A number of residents of Pulianthope area of Chennai said that they were still awaiting aid from the state government. "Our area is still inundated. No one has bothered to come here, and they have not done anything for us. All the officials are concentrating only in the main road areas; they do not come to the interiors, the worst affected areas. We have not received even a single bread or biscuit packets," said Arputham, a resident of Pulianthope in Chennai. The city received 42 cm rainfall in 30 hours due the depression formed over Bay of Bengal at the beginning of the week.