PUDUCHERRY: Even though the deep depression that had formed at the Bay of Bengal moved away from the Puducherry coast, rains and squally wind (30 km per hour) that created cyclone-like conditions wreaked havoc and threw life out of gear in the region.
As a result of the heavy rain, a 65-year-old man from Ariyankuppam died due to a mud wall collapse. Identified as Sundaramurthy, he was severely injured and was rushed to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Several tree branches too came off both within the town as also in the suburbs. A vehicle parked inside the collectorate at Saram was damaged and tree branches fell on top of a few stalls at Uzhavarsandai near the Old Bus Stand. The low lying areas of the region were inundated and some trees got uprooted in the strong wind. However, arrangements were made to pump water from inundated areas and clogged drains.
The banana plantations and sugarcane cultivation suffered extensive damages at Kuttchipalayam on account of the winds and the bed dam at Sillukaripalayam too began overflowing due to heavy rains. The official machinery is having a tough time to clear the tree branches that fell haphazardly on the main streets as also in other stretches.
With only a few hours left for Deepavali celebrations, people had a tough time completing their last-minute shopping.
The Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai said that the deep depression had weakened and moved away from the Puducherry coast and was stationed near Cuddalore coast, 40 km away from the region. However, the Met Department advised fishermen not to venture into sea along and off north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining Pudukkottai and Ramanathapuram districts for the next 24 hours.
The IMD, Chennai is closely monitoring the progress of the low deep depression, Dr Ramanan, Senior Scientist with IMD regional centre, said.