NDRF doubles strength of rescue teams in flood-hit TN

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has doubled the number of its personnel in the flood-battered Tamil Nadu to 1,200 even as it rescued over 5,000 people from the marooned areas.

With the addition of 15 more teams overnight to an equal number of units working since Wednesday, the force has begun penetrating deep into the affected areas to aid the marooned, in Chennai and in neighbouring Puducherry.

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, meanwhile, chaired a meeting of the Crisis Management Group in New Delhi earlier in the day.

Officials of Ministries of Defence, Food, Railways, Agriculture, Health, Department of Telecommunications, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) attended the meeting.

NDRF Chief O.P. Singh said the force plans to concentrate in the areas of south Chennai, which are the worst affected.

He said the force had deployed about 110 inflatable and other kinds of boats and separate assortment of buoys and life jackets with the rescue and relief teams so that the needy and the marooned get help.

The meeting also decided to move two additional columns of the army in these areas even as officials of these central departments were asked to keep in constant touch with their Tamil Nadu counterparts.

The Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) in Mysore has rushed 3.5 tonnes of ready to eat food materials along with scientists to Chennai.

More than 10 ready to eat items, which are rich in energy and vitamins, have been processed and packed to remain fresh.