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Tamil Nadu
Coastal Tamil Nadu and certain interior parts in the state experienced widespread rain on Wednesday as the depression weakened into a well-marked low-pressure area. Anticipating heavy rain, the administration announced a holiday for schools and colleges in several districts for today. Rain pounded Chennai and neighbouring Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, and Kancheepuram districts triggering sudden inundation in residential areas and arterial roads. Wednesday turned out to be third consecutive wet day this week, though parts of the state have been witnessing rainfall activity since last week, disrupting the livelihood of small traders and hindering the free movement of residents. The depression (remnant of cyclonic storm Ditwah) over southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts moved slowly southwestwards and weakened into a well-marked low-pressure area over north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts and neighbourhood, the IMD said. It was very likely to continue to m
The Tamil Nadu government has urged the Supreme Court to lift its October 13 order directing a CBI probe into the Karur stampede in which 41 people were killed and permit an investigation by the SIT constituted by the Madras High Court. The local police and the Special Investigation Team are fully competent to conduct a "fair, thorough, and impartial investigation" and no exceptional circumstances exist to direct central agency intervention, the state government said in a reply filed before the apex court. The state government submitted that the October 13, 2025 interim order directing a CBI probe under the monitoring of three-member supervisory committee has "virtually allowed the writ petition" even before notice on maintainability could be decided. The stampede on September 27 during a rally of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Vijay claimed 41 lives and left over 60 injured. According to the state government, the allegation of negligence or dereliction of duty on part of the Karur
As many as 20 early morning passengers were stranded between two stations when the Chennai Metro train halted midway due to a glitch on Tuesday. They were however safely rescued, the authorities said. The incident that happened between the High Court and Central Stations caused apprehension among the commuters. They were rescued later and the train services resumed from 6.30 am. Due to a technical issue, the Metro train halted between the High Court station and Puratchi Thalaivar Dr M G Ramachandran Central Metro Station. Immediate evacuation was done, and the train was promptly withdrawn from the line, the Chennai Metro Rail said in a release. Normal operations resumed at 6.20 am, it said and regretted the inconvenience caused to the passengers. Metro train services between Airport and Wimco Nagar Depot on Blue Line have resumed normal Operations. Central Metro to St. Thomas Mount on the Green Line are also running as per the normal schedule, the Chennai Metro Rail said in a post
Several parts in Tamil Nadu including Chennai, Thiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Cuddalore, and Ranipet continued to receive moderate downpour on Monday due to the remnants of the cyclonic storm Ditwah that remained closed to Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts. The system which weakened into a deep depression will further weaken and the remnants could cause rain, the IMD said. It is likely to remain stationary as a weakened system for the next 24 hours. The deep depression (remnant of cyclonic storm Ditwah) over southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts moved northwards with the speed of 10 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centered at over the same region, about 90 km south-southeast of Chennai, 90 km east-southeast of Puducherry, 110 km east-northeast of Cuddalore, 180 km north-northeast of Karaikal, the weather bulletin said. It lay about 50 km from north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts and would weaken gradually further into a depression by noon of December 1.
Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday said the Tamil Nadu government is ready to lend a helping hand to cyclone-wrecked Sri Lanka, by providing food and medicine, through the Union government. Stalin said he has directed Chief Secretary N Muruganandam to form a committee of officials to work in coordination with the Central government in this regard. Meanwhile, the CM said that steps were taken by the state's Commissionerate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils to safely bring back home passengers from Tamil Nadu stranded in Sri Lanka, and in the first phase, as many as 177 people, including 4 children and 60 women, were brought back to the state on Sunday morning. Conveying his condolences to the bereaved families in Sri Lanka, the chief minister said that the Tamil Nadu people shared the grief of the people of the island nation.
Rains triggered by Cyclone Ditwah continued in several parts of Tamil Nadu as it is expected to move parallel to the coastline of northern parts of the state and neighbouring Puducherry in the next 24 hours, the weather office said on Sunday. With heavy rainfall pounding Cauvery delta districts in the state, Ramanathapuram and Nagapattinam districts bore the brunt. Normal life continued to be affected in the coastal towns of Rameswaram and Nagapattinam as heavy rainfall inundated several low lying areas. As per the latest bulletin by the Regional Meteorological Department issued on Sunday, the cyclone moved nearly northwards with a speed of 5 kmph and it is located about 80 km east of Karaikal, 100 km northeast of Vedaraniyam, 160 km southeast of Puducherry and 250 km south of Chennai. "It is very likely to move nearly northwards parallel to North Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts during the next 24 hours. While moving northwards the cyclonic storm will be centered over southwest Bay of
In view of Cyclone Ditwah bearing down on Tamil Nadu, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewed preparedness measures on Saturday to ensure minimum disruption to rail services and passenger safety. The coastal areas expected to be hit by the impending cyclone fall mainly under the Southern Railway zone. "A dedicated network of helplines and passenger-assistance desks must be established to support travellers facing uncertainties due to cancellations or rerouting," a press statement from the railway ministry said. It added that Vaishnaw has reaffirmed the commitment of the Indian Railways to public safety. The minister has instructed the officials concerned to ensure that war rooms are activated at the divisional, zonal and Railway Board levels to monitor the situation and remain alert for any extreme scenario. "He has also asked railway officials to coordinate with civil-administration authorities and proactively communicate with passengers until normalcy is restored," the statem
Cyclone Ditwah was slowly moving closer towards the Tamil Nadu coast and it was likely to bring heavy rainfall, the weather office said on Friday, as the state government reviewed its preparedness to face the second such weather system in a month. The weather office forecast heavy rains in the southern and Cauvery delta districts of the state, between November 29 and 30. The name, 'Ditwah', referring to a lagoon, was suggested by Yemen. It is likely named after Detwah Lagoon, a large, saline lagoon on the northwest coast of the island of Socotra in Yemen. In a bulletin on Friday evening, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the cyclonic storm 'Ditwah' over the coast of Sri Lanka and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal moved slowly northwards with a speed of 3 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centred at 2.30 hrs of today, November 28 over the same region. It is located about 300 km south-southeast of Karaikal, 410 km south-southeast of Puducherry and 510 km south-southeast o
Solar module manufacturer Vikram Solar on Wednesday said it has commissioned a 5-GW fully automated Vallam facility in Tamil Nadu, taking its total annual production capacity to 9.5 GW. Spanning 27,000 square metres, the plant, built on advanced TOPCon technology, is designed to support M10, G12, and G12R formats, underscoring Vikram Solar's commitment to future-ready technology leadership, a company statement said. The state-of-the-art Vallam facility will add 5 GW of advanced module production capacity annually. With this next-gen expansion, the company now commands a total manufacturing capacity of 9.5 GW per annum, it said. The Vallam plant incorporates a sophisticated layer of next-generation automation, much of it being deployed in the country for the first time, seamlessly integrating intelligent robotics, advanced material-handling systems, comprehensive built-in quality checks and fully automated packaging, the statement said. "Commissioning this 5 GW facility within the y
Tamil Nadu politics is not regionalism, it is essentially Tamil "exceptionalism", which insists that Tamil is "distinct" from other languages, Governor R N Ravi has said. As Tamil Nadu Governor, Ravi has repeated stand-offs with the DMK government led by M K Stalin. "This Tamil exceptionalism is articulated by hatred against other languages, even those that belong to Dravidian family like Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. It is not just Hindi," the governor said. He also criticised that Tamil politicians do not really love Tamil, as they haven't done anything for the promotion of Tamil language or Tamil culture. "The reality is that, every year, students are moving away from Tamil medium to English medium. The number of students pursuing their studies in Tamil is declining steadily and steeply," he said in an interview to a TV channel. Ravi said the Tamil Nadu government has given "zero budget for research" in Tamil language and culture. "There are over 11 lakh palm leaves manuscrip
Tata Chemicals on Friday said its board has approved an investment of Rs 910 crore for expansions of manufacturing capacities of its plants at Mithapur in Gujarat and Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu. The board of directors of the company have, in a meeting held on Friday, approved an investment of Rs 135 crore towards the expansion of dense soda ash manufacturing capacity at its plant located at Mithapur, Tata Chemicals said in a regulatory filing. Further, the company stated that the board also approved an investment of Rs 775 crore to expand precipitated silica manufacturing capacity at its plant in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu. Shares of the company closed at Rs 809.95 on Friday, down 1.09 per cent on BSE.