Cyclone Fengal has gripped Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karnataka, and Kerala, unleashing torrential rain and causing widespread devastation. Heavy downpours battered Karnataka’s Mangaluru and Dakshina Kannada, while Puducherry recorded 48.4 cm of rainfall in 24 hours. Mailam in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district reported the highest rainfall at 50 cm. The cyclone has claimed six lives and caused severe disruptions, including power outages, flooded streets, and damaged infrastructure.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued alerts for continued rainfall, with a red alert for four districts in Kerala and an orange alert for five districts in Tamil Nadu. Bengaluru experienced moderate rain and remains under a yellow alert for the next three days.
School closure due to rains in Tamil Nadu
In response to the heavy rain forecast, schools and colleges in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram, Cuddalore, and Puducherry were closed on Tuesday. Nilgiris District Magistrate Lakshmi Bhavya also declared December 3 a holiday for schools due to the downpour, as per ANI. Similarly, in Ranipet, Salem, and Tiruvannamalai, schools alone were ordered shut. Kallakurichi’s Thirukovilur Town and Krishnagiri’s Pechampalli and Uthangarai Taluk schools were also closed.
Karnataka school closure amid cyclone Fengal
In Karnataka, Mangaluru City witnessed waterlogging in streets and low-lying areas, with basements of several buildings inundated. The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre and IMD issued an orange alert for heavy rains in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi until Tuesday morning. In response, Deputy Commissioners Mullai Muhilan M.P. (Dakshina Kannada) and Vidya Kumari K. (Udupi) declared holidays for anganwadis, primary schools, high schools, and PU colleges, covering government, aided, and private institutions. Ramanagara district also announced school and college closures, as reported by TNN.
Bengaluru schools: No holiday for rainy day
Meanwhile, Bengaluru, under a yellow alert, received rain since Sunday evening. IMD Bengaluru Director C.S. Patil forecasted widespread rainfall in Coastal Karnataka and parts of South Interior Karnataka on Monday, followed by light to moderate rain on Tuesday. However, Bengaluru Urban district officials clarified that schools will remain open, despite calls from some parents for closures.
This persistent rain has left many regions reeling under its impact, with authorities urging caution and preparedness.
TOI Bengaluru announced the news on its official X (formally Twitter) handle. It tweeted, ‘NO HOLIDAY declared for schools and colleges in Bengaluru on Tuesday, says Bangalore Urban DC Jagadeesha G while pointing to a yellow alert sounded for the tech capital. However, schools in Kolar district will remain closed on Tuesday.
According to a media report, the private schools’ association stated that some parents have developed a habit of demanding holidays whenever it rains in Bengaluru. The report further mentions that Shashi Kumar, General Secretary of the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said that if the rains become uncontrollable, the government will declare a holiday.
Meanwhile, several parents continue to demand school closures due to the persistent rainfall.
Several people reacted to the decision by the Urban District Administrator. One user on X highlighted the irony, pointing out that schools were declared closed for rain a few weeks ago, only for the weather to turn out sunny. Now, with heavy rainfall anticipated, schools remain open.
Another user on X tagged the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and tweeted that students are struggling with cold, cough, and nonstop rain, while school buses face delays due to heavy rain-induced traffic. She also tagged Krishna Byre Gowda, MLA of Byatarayanapura and Minister for Revenue, suggesting that declaring online classes would be highly beneficial.
On December 2, another X user tweeted, quoting a post stating that the Deputy Commissioner of Mysore had ordered the closure of schools in the district for the day. The user remarked that while some private schools in Bengaluru had declared online classes, others were requiring children and teachers to report to school despite the continuous rainfall.
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