Let up in rains; Puducherry returns to normalcy

With rains abating after more than ten days of battering, Puducherry returned to normalcy today.

All schools and colleges which had holidays consecutively for six days since last week reopened today.

Puducherry and Karaikal regions were battered by rains till Monday with total rainfall exceeding the annual average by 25-40%, sources said.

Puducherry administration is yet to come out with a fullfledged report on the havoc the floods had caused in the two regions, although a relief of Rs 1,000 per family had been announced for those affected by the rains.

CPI has criticsied the government`s current move to collect particulars from each of the families in printed form brought out by the revenue department before issuing the money.

CPI MLA R Viswanathan said this was a `time consuming, amusing and impractical approach` and hence should be given up.`Let the money be handed through ration shops on the basis of cards as was done in the past under the supervision of the revenue authorities`, he said.