#ChennaiFloods: Nature's fury stops 'The Hindu' from publication for the 1st time in history!

Chennai, Dec 2: Media- the fourth pillar of democracy and the nation's watchdog is supposed to run 24*7 and 365 days throughout the year, without any break.

Weather it is festive season, national holiday or any emergency situation, media houses run their operations without fail and their responsibility and accountability becomes more high, when the country is under any adverse situation.

Floods and incessant rains in Tamil Nadu broke the record of the state's most read newspaper-- The Hindu, when it could not be sent for printing on Wednesday, Dec 2, due to non-stop torrential rains.

First time in the history of The Hindu, since 1878, the leading daily had to surrender in front of nature's fury, in 137 years of its operations.

The loyal readers of The Hindu were in a rude shock, when they got to know that their daily dose of The Hindu could not be present at their doorsteps due to floods.

As per a report published in BBC, the newspaper publisher N Murali, told the international media house, "Our Maraimalainagar township was not accessible for the people who run the plant. So, none of our staff could reach the plant. It is located about 30kms (18 miles) from the city in Maraimalainagar."

"The printing press plant is large so we put it up outside the city. Even if we had printed the paper, I doubt if it could have been distributed in the city," he further added.

However, other newspapers like The Times of India, the Deccan Chronicle and the New Indian Express were published but it wasn't sure whether they managed to reach their readers or not.

Water-logging and overflowing water bodiess have forced the complete shutdown of Chennai airport, and transport facilities have been disrupted.

Schools, colleges and offices and IT firms had to remain close on Wednesday, Dec 2, following heavy rains.

As per the IMD report, more rains are expected in next 48 hours, putting the state into a danger zone.

Meanwhile, Army, Navy and NDRF teams have been deployed to carry out the relief and rescue operations.

So far, 188 people have died in the rains. Here are some of the important helpline numbers:

Tree fall, Waterlogging: 1913
Sewage overflow: 45674567, 22200335
State Emergency: 1070
District Emergency: 1077
Electricity: 1912
Fire & Rescue: 101

OneIndia News