Chennai Airport to resume partial operations tomorrow

Chennai: Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture and Tourism and Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma on Friday said staffs would be deployed at the Chennai airport and if there was no further rain on Saturday, the airport would be made operational.

The operations at the airport have been suspended after water entered the runway following incessant rains for over a week now. "We have requested all airlines to maintain a price cap in this time of crisis to which they have given a positive response," he added

Chairman of the Airport Authority of India R.K. Srivastava, meanwhile, said, "The situation is under control and the water has receded from the airfield side. We have made it operational and from tomorrow it will start working. We have allowed operation for the ferry, technical and relief purpose."

"After reviewing situation, we will consider resuming commercial operations," said Srivastava.

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Heavy rain which lashed Chennai after a brief dry spell slowed down relief work in the city. Rescue teams urged people to leave inundated regions. Areas where water has receded, masses of black mud and garbage have piled up. 

The flooded city is facing its worst crisis after experiencing record rain in the last 100 years. Many areas still remain submerged in water.

Military helicopters dropped food to residents stranded on rooftops in India's fourth-largest city. On Friday, the defence ministry doubled to 4,000 the number of soldiers deployed to help the rescue effort. But help was slow to reach many in the city of six million because of more rain.

Indian Navy Ship Airavat that arrived at the Chennai port from Vishakhapatnam for relief work, pressed into action and began deploying teams laden with amenities and supplies despite the rain.

"Part of the relief material that we have brought along in INS Airavat has been handed over to the state administration and now we have naval personnel who will go out on boats with ready-to-eat meals and drinkable water. We intend to deploy our team north of the Adyar river and move out south where we will provide relief material to the people stranded in the waterlogged areas of the city," Rear Admiral Alok Bhatnagar said.

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12 teams have been deployed and three helicopters will airdrop food and water to the stranded people. Two more Navy ships will arrive today with more supplies intended for relief work.