After rainfall, it was windfall for Tamil Nadu as Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced immediate relief to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore after conducting an aerial survey of the affected areas on Thursday.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had written to Modi for immediate Central government assistance to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore for the state and its people affected by what is being called the worst rainfall in more than a century, and the flooding and destruction it has caused.
The Rs 1,000 crore Modi announced on Thursday is over and above the approximately Rs 940 crore he had announced last month as Central government assistance for flood relief in the state.
While making the announcement, the prime minister also commiserated with the residents of not just Chennai but the whole state: "I have seen the damage and misery caused by extremely heavy rainfall. The government of India stands by the people of Tamil Nadu in their hour of need."
Earlier in the day, when Modi arrived in the flooded city to take stock of the situation, he was briefed by Jayalalitha of the people's plight and the damage to property.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced that at least 269 people had been killed in rain and flood-related incidents in Tamil Nadu. The figure, it is speculated, will go up, with the spectre of water-borne diseases looming large over submerged areas, although water levels have reportedly started to come down in Chennai and some other parts of the state.
Rajnath also said: "It would not be an exaggeration to say Chennai has become an island, cut off from all national and state highways."
The rain has also led Chennai's airport to be closed till noon on Sunday, 6 December, with the Rajali naval air station at Arakkonam, around 70 km to the west of Chennai, functioning as a makeshift airport.
