A well coordinated effort by various agencies brought some relief for the people of Tamil Nadu on Sunday and showed the much needed sign of normalcy with commercial flight services resumed after five days from Chennai International Airport.
In the morning, Air India, Jet Airways and Indigo have restarted their operations. The national carrier was the first to resume its service. They are running three flights from Chennai to Port Blair, New Delhi and Hyderabad. Jet Airways is operating between Chennai and Bengaluru and Indigo is operating on the Bangalore-Chennai-Mumbai-Delhi sectors.
Normal flight services started gaining momentum with clearances from various agencies including the Union ministries. Some flights are still stranded but from Monday onwards the services will be fully operational.
There are some concerns over flight landings but the officials are trying to get equipments for instrument landing. Currently, it is difficult to land aircraft based on visuals and therefore the authorities are trying to make arrangements for instruments landings especially after sun set.
For the last five days airport officials worked day and night – braving the rough weather – to make the area operational. Air India had stored food for the people on the ground, while few were sent home. Some including officials from Airport, CISF and Air India, stayed back at the airport for three nights for various technical checks on security to smoothen the process of flight landings and take offs.
Train services from Chennai Central have also resumed. Army, Navy and NDRF teams are on a war footing exercise to distribute food, water and medicines etc to the rain affected people.
Thousands took shelter in relief camps but the post flood possibility of epidemic is looming large over the city despite the fact that flood waters receded from many parts of the city. Though the state health department has issued precautionary advisories but many feel that the fear is not yet over.
Already, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have sent a high level team to Tamil Nadu to assess the situation and to provide help.
