Tag: Chennai

  • Heavy rains in Chennai flooded airport, leaving 8 dead, thousands affected

    Heavy rains in Chennai flooded airport, leaving 8 dead, thousands affected

    Cyclone Michaung was expected to make landfall on the coast of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh around noon on Tue­sday, the country’s weather office said, with sustained winds of 90-100kph (56-62mph), gusting to 110kph.

    The cyclone was forecast to hit the coast of Andhra Pradesh state later Tuesday as a “severe cyclonic storm”, packing winds up to 100 kilometres, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

    In Chennai, cars were seen floating on raging torrents, homes were flooded, and a crocodile was spotted swimming the streets in the city.

    In some parts of the flooded city, people used boats to get out of their flooded neighbourhoods to the safety of government relief shelters.

    The IMD warned of “exceptionally heavy rainfall” in some areas.

    “We are facing the worst storm in recent memory,” Tamil Nadu state chief minister M.K. Stalin said, in a statement late Monday.

    Police said on Tuesday that eight people had been killed in the state capital of Chennai.

    They included some who drowned, as well as one person hit by a falling tree, another electrocuted by live wires in the water, and one crushed by a falling wall.

    Trees were uprooted and vehicles swept away due to the heavy rains, according to images posted on social media.

    Apple iPhone manufacturers Foxconn and Pegatron and automaker Hyundai suspended their operations in Tamil Nadu due to the storm, local media reported.

    The cyclone is expected to hit India’s southeast coast near the town of Bapatla, on the 300-kilometre (185-mile) stretch between Nellore and Machilipatnam.

    Hundreds of people from coastal villages in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh have moved inland, with emergency rescue teams deployed to deal with the aftermath of the cyclone’s landfall, according to local media.

    Sea surges of waves up to 1.5 metres (nearly five feet) above normal tide levels are expected when the cyclone makes landfall, the IMD said.

    Home Minister Amit Shah said the government was “braced to provide all the necessary assistance to Andhra Pradesh”, with rescue teams deployed and more “on standby to mobilise as needed”.

    The cyclone is expected to weaken late Tuesday.

    Scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer with climate change.

    Cyclones — the equivalent of hurricanes in the North Atlantic or typhoons in the Northwest Pacific — are a regular and deadly menace on coasts in the northern Indian Ocean, where tens of millions of people live.

    Schools, colleges, offices and banks were closed on Monday and Tuesday in at least four districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, because of weather conditions, a government notice said.

  • AR Rahman apologises after Chennai concert stampede

    AR Rahman apologises after Chennai concert stampede

    Oscar winning music composer AR Rahman has addressed the controversial Marakuma Nenjam concert held in Chennai on September 10 where numerous fans reported cases of harassment, molestation and suffocation due to poor management, leading to a stampede. Speaking with The Hindu, the ‘Dil Se’ composer apologised and said he was “deeply disturbed” by the reports. The maestro said he would refund all the tickets, asking people to reach out to him through email to elaborate on other problems at the concert.

    “It was a tsunami of people and love that we were unable to handle. As a composer, my job was to give a terrific show, and I thought everything else would be taken care of. I was just thinking that it shouldn’t rain, and was happily performing inside, without any idea of what was happening outside. Our intentions were good, but I think the response was beyond our expectations. We are collecting the data now, and we will surprise fans with something soon.”

    The singer elaborated on the events of the evening and what had gone wrong:

     “The organisers (ACTC events) had put together about 46,000 chairs in the venue. In some sections, everybody sat on one side and didn’t move to the other side. Seeing this, the policemen on duty assumed that the venue was full and closed it. By this time, the show had already started inside.”

    Indian publication The Quint spoke with several women about the harassment and poor management they had witnessed at AR Rahman’s concert, describing how several children were crying after being separated from their parents and ambulances that couldn’t reach those who had fainted.

    A 22-year-old lawyer said she was groped multiple times for half an hour while trying to find the exit along with her mother.

    “I lost count of the number of times I got groped yesterday. After a while, I gave up and didn’t try to defend myself. I tried pushing them, punching them, but they kept touching me. So I had no choice but to stand still.”

    A 45-year-old corporate professional brought along her 10-year-old to the concert, said, “At one point I started crying in panic because of the stampede while collecting tags.”

  • Dhoni’s CSK thrashes Gujrat Titans to win IPL 16

    Dhoni’s CSK thrashes Gujrat Titans to win IPL 16

    Chennai Super Kings (CSK) equaled Mumbai Indians’ record of five Indian Premier League (IPL) titles after MS Dhoni’s side triumphed in a last-ball thriller, beating the Gujarat Titans, the defending champions, by five wickets in Monday’s rain-hit final in Ahmedabad.

    Put into bat, Gujarat racked up 214 for four after Sai Sudharsan capitalised on a strong start and smashed 96 off 47 balls that included six sixes.

    Chasing a revised target of 171 from 15 overs after a lengthy rain interruption, Chennai survived intense drama before Ravindra Jadeja sealed their victory, hitting 10 runs off the last two deliveries.

    The final was originally scheduled on Sunday but incessant rain forced the organisers to move the game to its reserve day. After Dhoni won the toss and elected to field, Shubman Gill walked out to bat having smashed three hundreds in his past four innings.

    The opener seemed to have luck on his side as Deepak Chahar dropped Gill, the tournament’s leading scorer, at square-leg when the batter was on three. Gill also survived a run out chance when Jadeja could not properly gather the ball before breaking the stumps.

    The left-arm spinner, however, made amends in the same over. Jadeja lured Gill (39) out of the crease and Dhoni proved age has not dulled his reflexes and the 41-year-old whipped off the bails in a flash.

    Chahar also floored a return catch from Wriddhiman Saha, who smashed 54 before falling to the seamer with Dhoni collecting the top edge. Sudharsan then tore into the attack and hit Matheesha Pathirana for back-to-back sixes in the final over of the innings to inch closer to a hundred but Pathirana denied him the milestone.

    Chennai’s openers faced three balls before rain forced them off the field and held up play for two hours and 20 minutes. Chasing a revised target, Ruturaj Gaikwad (26) and Devon Conway (47) plundered 72 runs from the first six overs before Noor Ahmad removed both in the seventh over.

    Shivam Dube, who made 32no, kept Chennai in the race but Mohit Sharma removed Ambati Rayudu and Dhoni in successive deliveries.

    Chennai needed 13 runs from the last over from Mohit, who conceded three runs from his first four deliveries. Needing 10 off the last two, Jadeja hit Mohit over his head for a six and followed it with a boundary to seal a thrilling victory.

    “I was just trying to swing hard because every ball was important,” Jadeja said. “I knew anything could happen, so I was trying to swing hard and hit it straight.”

  • Apple puts Indian plant unit ‘on probation’ after food poisoning case

    Apple puts Indian plant unit ‘on probation’ after food poisoning case

    The iPhone manufacturing company, Apple, has put the Indian plant of one of its main suppliers ‘on probation’ after mass food poisoning cases surged among their female factory workers.

    Earlier this month, around 250 female workers working in the iPhone manufacturing plant of Foxconn company located in Chennai city had been treated for food poisoning as out-patients while more than 150 were hospitalised.

    This was followed by a massive protest demonstration against living conditions at hostels for factory workers. It led to the closure of its supplier factory at Sriperumbudur near Chennai, which is closed since December 18.

    Apple stated that it has placed the plant “on probation” after the company found that factory dormitories and dining rooms used for employees did not meet the standardised requirements for food. The company further added that they are currently working with the supplier to enforce “a comprehensive set of corrective actions”.

    Currently, the Indian plant unit employs about 17,000 people. It manufactures iPhones for the Indian market and for exports, and other gadgets as well.

    Foxconn said it was “very sorry for the issue our employees experienced and are taking immediate steps to enhance the facilities and services we provide at the remote dormitory accommodations.”

    “We are also restructuring our local management team and our management systems to ensure we can achieve and maintain the high standards that are needed,” the company further added.

    Foxconn assured that salary would continue to be provided among employees while necessary improvements would be made before the operation restarts.

  • Newlywed couple gets five litres of petrol as wedding gift

    A newly-married couple in India received five litres of petrol as a gift at their wedding reception.

    As per reports, a Tamil comedian named Mayilsamy gave an unusual gift to the couple. The images of the wedding ceremony and the gift have gone viral on social media platforms.

    Mayilsamy went up to the stage to congratulate the newly-wed couple. He gifted them with two plastic cans filled with petrol. This gift was assumed to be Mayilsamy’s jibe at the increasing fuel prices in the country.

    Read More: Ex-girlfriend shows up at wedding, groom marries both fiancée, girlfriend

    Fuel prices had seen an all-time high across India when the rates were last hiked on July 17.

  • VIDEO: Six passengers arrested for smuggling 5.5kg gold in their wigs

    Six passengers have been arrested at Chennai airport in India for smuggling gold and foreign currency in their wigs. Customs officials found gold paste and cash packed into parcels and hidden in the wigs of the passengers.

    According to details, the gold was valued at around $344,000 (Rs 53,616,734) and $33,000  (Rs 5,143,465) was recovered in cash. The passengers had arrived from an unrevealed location in the Gulf.

    The gold and cash were concealed in wigs, socks, underwear and inside the passengers’ bodies.

    Airport officials found the passengers with suspicious looking hairstyles and took them into custody for an inquiry.

    Chennai customs department also posted a video on social media that shows how the men had glued the packages under their fake hair.

  • Kevin Pietersen mocks Team India after Chennai loss against England

    Former England player Kevin Pietersen on Tuesday mocked Team India after their humiliating defeat in Chennai against England, reminding them of the warning he had issued to Virat Kohli’s men pertaining to their Test series against Joe Root-led side after their glorious win at Gabba last month.

    “India, yaad hai maine pehele hi chetawani di thi ke itna jasn na manaye jab aapne Australia ko unke ghar pe haraya tha (India, remember I warned you earlier not to celebrate too much when you defeated Australia at their home),” he tweeted after India suffered their second defeat at home under the captaincy of Kohli, losing to England by 227 runs in the Test series opener. 

    https://twitter.com/KP24/status/1359059768082579456?s=19

    Earlier, after the series win in Gabba last month, while most took to social media to congratulate India for their impressive win, Pietersen had tweeted: “India – yeh aitihaasik jeet ka jashn manaye kyuki yeh sabhi baadhao ke khilaap hasil hui hai. Lekin, asli team toh kuch hafto baad aa rahi hai jisse aapko harana hoga apne ghar mein. Satark rahe , 2 saptaah mein bahut adhik jashn manaane se saavadhaan rahen (India – Celebrate this historic victory, as you achieved it against many hurdles. But, the real team is coming after two weeks, that you have defeated in your home. Be cautious, beware of celebrating too much in 2 weeks).”

    https://twitter.com/KP24/status/1351501549013504001?s=19

    India was set a target of 420 in the final innings in Chennai but lost Rohit Sharma early in the chase. The reverse swing of James Anderson, ably assisted by left-arm spinner Jack Leach combined to take seven wickets between themselves helped England fold India for just 192 runs. 

    The win helped England take a 1-0 lead in the four-Test series while denting India’s hope of reaching the World Test Championship final.