Heavy rains bring Chennai to a standstill, offices allow work from home

On Thursday, many city residents were left stuck at their offices since roads were closed due to waterlogging and visibility was very poor

Heavy rains lashed Chennai and Tamil Nadu's coastal districts on Thursday, with roads closed due to waterlogging leaving people stranded in transit.

The Tamil Nadu government has asked private companies to give leave or allow employees to work from home due to the rains. 

The public and the Opposition are saying that the administration did not do anything after the 2015 flood to deal with such situations.

Though Chennai witnessed a warm and sunny day with Nungambakkam recording a maximum of 30.1 degree Celsius and Meenambakkam 30.4 degree Celsius, by 2 pm, the skies darkened and the city witnessed widespread moderate rainfall. Chennai alone recorded 15 cm of rain on Thursday.

The rains started around 3 pm and continued until Friday morning. Heavy thunder and lightning were reported across the city.

Many city residents were left stuck at their offices since roads were closed due to waterlogging and visibility was very poor.

Mount Road, which is an important route that connects different parts of the city, including the suburbs, airport, and railway stations, was closed. Many parts of the road, especially at important junctions, were found to be waterlogged.

S Raja, who left towards Velacherry at 7 pm from his office at Mount Road, was forced to return to office as he could not go beyond TVS at Mount Road.

No cab, auto or public transportation was available.

Schools and colleges declared a holiday for the fourth consecutive day on Friday. Many private offices have also asked their employees to work from home.

The rain affected the movement of several flights at Chennai airport and slowed down local trains on the Chennai Beach-Tambaram route. As of 10.30 pm, Chennai recorded 11.9 cm, the Ennore port 4 cm, and Meenambakkam 9.7 cm of rains.

The rains are expected to continue for the next three days, says the weather forecast.

Further, power supply was cut in many parts of the city.

Amid allegations from the Opposition and public that the administration has not done anything after the 2015 flood, at the Chennai Corporation, Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, Tamil Development Minister Ma Foi Pandiarajan, Revenue Minister R B Udayakumar, and others met and reviewed the relief and rescue work carried out by the civic body.

"We have identified vulnerable locations but cannot prevent waterlogging. However, we can remove the water immediately. These spots should have motor sets, super suckers and JCBs to remove the water and the field-level staff should work efficiently," Udayakumar told media.

Meanwhile, in many parts of the city, due to the rains and blockage in the sewer system, toilets have started overflowing.

Here's what Chennai's residents had to say on Twitter: