Vehicle movement restored on Cuddalore-Puducherry-Chennai Highway after two days

Vehicle movement on the Cuddalore-Puducherry-Chennai Highway, which had been halted for two days due to flooding, resumed on Wednesday.

The flooding occurred after excessive water was released from the Thenpennai River, leading to severe inundation in several areas of the Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu.

The river overflowed onto the highway, forcing authorities to halt traffic. With the floodwaters receding and conditions returning to normal, traffic resumed in the morning. Vehicles are now moving smoothly along the route, and the highway is operating under normal conditions.

National permit truck driver, K. Rajendran while speaking to IANS said, “The movement of vehicles has now resumed. We have been struck here for the past two days due to the flooding.”

It may be recalled that heavy rain in the last few days has led to the submersion of roads in the Union Territory of Puducherry and adjacent places like Villupuram and Cuddalore, which are in Tamil Nadu.

In Puducherry, floods caused by overflowing Sankaraparani and Thenpennai rivers inundated agricultural fields and residential areas. The rain caused power disruption in many areas.

While urban regions of Puducherry have largely recovered, with 90 per cent of the power supply restored and stagnant water drained, rural communities remain vulnerable as water levels continue to rise.

In Tamil Nadu‘s Villupuram, over 300 villages were flooded after incessant rain and the opening of the Sathanur Dam. Thousands of people were left stranded, and thousands of hectares of agricultural land were submerged, causing significant losses.

Local MLA R. Senthil Kumar said the volume of water currently flowing in the Thenpennai River is three times higher than during the 2021 floods, with over one-fourth of the riverbank submerged. Residents criticised the government for failing to provide a warning before releasing water from the Veedur Dam.

Meanwhile, Puducherry Chief Minister N. Rangasamy clarified that the dam release was unavoidable due to heavy rain in the catchment areas.

To aid those affected by Cyclone Fengal, CM Rangasamy announced financial assistance of Rs 5,000 for each ration card-holding family in Puducherry, Karaikal, and Yanam regions. The relief package also includes Rs 10,000 per damaged fishing boat, Rs 30,000 per hectare of damaged crops, Rs 40,000 for the loss of cattle, Rs 20,000 for the loss of a calf, Rs 20,000 for completely damaged huts, and Rs 10,000 for partially damaged huts.

Families of the deceased will receive Rs 5 lakh each. The cyclone caused widespread destruction, with four deaths reported, one person missing, and three injured.

Crops on 10,000 hectares were damaged, and 50 boats were wrecked. Livestock losses were also reported. The relief package, which will cost the government Rs 210 crore, will be disbursed as soon as possible. The administration has also sought interim relief of Rs 100 crore from the Central government.