Govt prepared for future Chennai-like rains: Mahesh Sharma

Minister of State for Culture and Tourism and Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma on Sunday said that after witnessing the torrential rains and having dealt with the situation now, the Indian Government is prepared to deal with such deadly deluges in the future.

"We knew there would be heavy rains, but no one expected such a deluge. But having dealt with the state of affairs now, we are prepared. The Indian Government is also ready in case such a situation rises again in the future," Sharma told ANI.

Talking about the Chennai Airport being active again, Sharma said that the runway was cleared, fully operational and added that commercial flights have already begun their services.

The DGCA gave its clearance after checking the runway on which some flights were made to land on a trial basis yesterday, he added. However, the airport terminal is still facing power problems as the basement remains flooded.

"The entire power backup is in the basement which is filled with water and that's why there is such a problem. But now power is being provided to the terminal through an alternate route and its running on generator," Sharma said.

Meanwhile, Chennai Central resumed its services and trains have begun operating successfully and the schedules are expected to return to normal from tomorrow.
The first train of the day, Chennai Central- Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Andaman express, left Chennai Central at 5:15 am.