TN Law Minister jumps into water, leads rescue work

A large crowd watched the Minister in action even as he was joined in the waters by a team of policemen, led by Joint Commissioner of Police (South Chennai) C Sylendra Babu and the Madras Engineering Group Army personnel. Together, they brought old women and children to the water-covered roads in boats.

The water level in the Adyar had risen since Saturday when excess water from the Chembarambakkam reservoir was let into it. Nearly 12,000 residents living in 4,000 houses in 50 blocks near the Kotturpuram Bridge and the posh Dhandayuthapani First Street on Gandhi Mandapam Road were cut off from the rest of Chennai.

Around 6,000 residents had been evacuated and provided temporary shelters at the Anna Gem Science Park Matriculation School on Gandhi Mandappam Road, and in Gandhi Mandapam.

‘‘We have rescued nearly 1,000 people, including old men and women and children since noon,’’ said Jayakumar.

Some of the residents on the top floors refused to move out fearing that anti-social elements would target closed houses. ‘‘I hope the water will recede shortly,’’ said a resident who refused to get into a rescue boat.

Repeated calls by Army rescue personnel and the police to residents to leave their homes went in vain. Some residents, anticipating the flooding, had lifted their two-wheelers to safety and parked them on the balconies of top floors.

Joint Commissioner C Sylendra Babu said ‘‘We have deployed about 100 policemen and 25 special rescue teams here. It is very important to instill confidence in the minds of the affected persons.’’