Rain lashes city but no traffic snarls

CHENNAI: Even as the tropical cyclone Thane lay centred about 130 km away, the city experienced isolated heavy downpour and strong gusty winds throughout the day, perhaps an indication of the impending weather conditions when it makes landfall on Friday.Though the intensity of the rain and winds increased during the evening, traffic was not affected in most parts of the city. Major roads and junctions like Anna Salai, Kamarajar Salai, OMR, ECR, SVP Salai, EVR Salai, Koyambedu, 100 Feet Road, Mint, Parrys Corner, TH Road, Madhavaram, Moolakadai and Porur Junction saw normal traffic flow.The Chennai City Traffic Police kept commuters informed on the status of traffic around the city by updating their Facebook page.Around 3.30 pm, they informed the public of diversions due to a fallen electricity pole at Tiruvanmiyur.Workers in the unorganised sector took the chance to take a day off from work. With many weddings coming up in the next few days, couples are hoping for the rains to let up. Outdoor receptions are being hastily moved indoors, but with fully booked venues, some are having difficulties. Organisers of open-air new year celebrations are also a worried lot, as Thane looks set to bring in a rainy start to 2012.Power Outage As the raging winds grew stronger by Thursday evening, several places in the city experienced power cuts.Mylapore, T Nagar, Royapettah, Egmore, Anna Salai and several other areas had power cuts for periods ranging between 15 minutes to an hour. Due to high velocity winds, high-tension overhead cables supplying power from the North Chennai grid have been affected, the TNEB said.Police gear up Police officers and the Chennai Corporation held a meeting on Thursday to draw up a contingency plan for handling the aftermath of cyclone Thane. Police said they have been instructed to keep sufficient manpower ready to launch relief and rescue operations if required. Floodprone areas have been identified and temporary shelters have also been designated close to these areas so that affected people could be evacuated quickly.