Chennai, November 25: Authorities in several districts across Tamil Nadu declared a holiday for schools on Monday as heavy rains triggered by the intensifying Northeast monsoon swept through southern parts of the state.
Widespread rainfall continued in Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari districts, prompting local administrations to suspend classes as a precautionary measure. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rain for more than a dozen districts, including Cuddalore, Ariyalur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Pudukkottai, Sivaganga, Madurai, Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram.
Kallakurichi District Collector M.S. Prasanth announced a school holiday for Monday, while Ramanathapuram District Collector Simranjeet Singh Kahlon declared a one-day closure due to the downpour. In the Union Territory of Puducherry, Home Minister A. Namassivayam ordered schools and colleges in the Puducherry and Karaikal regions to remain shut.
Further closures were announced in Virudhunagar, Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Pudukkottai, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Ariyalur and Karur districts as rain continued to lash central and southern Tamil Nadu.
In response to the forecast of continued heavy rainfall, the state government deployed three teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli. Two teams were sent to Thoothukudi and one to Tirunelveli, with district administrations instructed to take all necessary precautionary measures.
The monsoon, which has strengthened over the southern region in recent days, is expected to bring more rain in the coming hours, officials said.
