Heavy rain damages Anganwadi centre, houses in Vellore; crops in Ranipet

A portion of a rented anganwadi centre and two dilapidated houses were badly damaged at Pernambut town in Vellore on Saturday after heavy rain lashed many parts of the district.

Police said the two houses partially collapsed as the side walls became completely wet. House owners Mohammed Basha, 55, and Mohammed Naushid, 45, were staying with their families in the partially damaged houses. Two families were staying in one of the rooms that was not damaged in the incident. “We have asked affected family members to move to safer places like relatives’ houses, as both damaged houses will be demolished. We have also begun enumeration of dilapidated houses within civic body limits,” said N.T. Velavan, Commissioner-in-Charge, Pernambut Municipality.

In another rain-affected incident, a wall of a rented Anganwadi centre, run by Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), in the Salaipet area within Pernambut town, collapsed. The centre was relocated to the rented premises a few months ago due to the dilapidated condition of a permanent building in the area.

The centre has around 30 children. Around 1,075 centres, including 70 under-construction buildings, are located in Vellore district.  “Children in the affected anganwadi centre were moved to another temporary accommodation. However, a permanent building for the centre should be built to ensure the safety of children,” said B. Jayasri, a parent.

Low-lying areas like Sampath Nagar and Kansalpet in Vellore, which used to get inundated to knee deep during the monsoon, received good showers. Frequent power cuts were reported in many areas of these districts due to strong winds. Crop damage, especially sugarcane and paddy fields, was caused by inundation in Ranipet district.  

Among the four districts, Vellore has received heavy rains with a total rainfall of 696.30 mm as of 8.30 a.m. on Saturday. Areas like Arani, Jamunamarathur (Jawadhu Hills), Polur, Tiruvannamalai town, Kilpennathur and Thandarampattu in Tiruvannamalai district received good rainfall. In Vellore, areas like Pernambut, Gudiyatham, Katpadi, Vellore Old Town, Bagayam and Sathuvachari witnessed sudden showers.

Major towns like Arcot, Walajah, Arakkonam, and Sholinghur received mild showers. Tirupattur, Natrampalli, Alangayam, Madhanur and Jolarpet witnessed strong winds with mild rain.