Chennai has been hit by floods due to heavy rains, which has put the city to a standstill. The rains are said to have broken a 100-year record. People in the region, including tourists, are massively affected. Airport operations will remain suspended until 6 am, December 3. Comunication has also been disconnected. Navy is active in carrying out rescue operations.
Speaking on the situation, Basheer Ahmed, national managing committee member, Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), said, “The normal life is really affected; more than 5000 people are hit are stuck in the calamity. Connectivity has broken, as flights and trains are not operating. The situation is expected to settle down a little only tomorrow.”
Tourist destinations in the state are also facing the devastation. Kanchipuram’s famous Mamallapuram Perumal temple is submerged in water.
Dr. Srimathy Kesan, director, Space Kidz India, said, “This is the phase of temple tours, people from different parts of the world who had come to visit are stranded. Visitors travelling to Chidambaram for the Dance festival have nowehere to go, as the condition of roads connecting Puducherry to Chidambaram is very bad. Travellers are stuck at the airport for more than seven hours. This calamity will bring a huge loss in tourism.”
“Within the travel fraternity, Parveen Travels is contributing actively to the rescue operations,” added Kesan.
North Tamil Nadu is majorly affected. However, according to MeT, heavy rains are expected in South Tamil Nadu and Kerala too.
