The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has doubled the number of its personnel in the rain and flood-battered Chennai and adjoining areas to 1,200 even as it rescued over 5,000 people from the marooned areas.<br/><br/>With the addition of 15 more teams overnight to an equal number of units working since yesterday, the force has begun penetrating deep into the affected areas to aid the marooned including in neighbouring Puducherry. Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi chaired a meeting of the Crisis Management Group in New Delhi earlier in the day. <br/> <br/>Officials of Ministries of Defence, Food, Railways, Agriculture, Health, Department of Telecommunications, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) attended the meeting. NDRF Chief O P Singh said the force plans to concentrate in the areas of south Chennai which are the worst affected. <br/> <br/>He said the force has deployed about 110 inflatable and other kinds of boats and separate assortment of buoys and life jackets with the rescue and relief teams so that the needy and the marooned get help. The meeting also decided to move two additional columns of the army in these areas even as officials of these central departments were asked to keep in constant touch with their Tamil Nadu counterparts.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has doubled the number of its personnel in the rain and flood-battered Chennai and adjoining areas to 1,200 even as it rescued over 5,000 people from the marooned areas.<br/><br/>With the addition of 15 more teams overnight to an equal number of units working since yesterday, the force has begun penetrating deep into the affected areas to aid the<br/>marooned including in neighbouring Puducherry. Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi chaired a<br/>meeting of the Crisis Management Group in New Delhi earlier in the day. <br/> <br/>Officials of Ministries of Defence, Food, Railways, Agriculture, Health, Department of Telecommunications, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), India<br/>Meteorological Department (IMD) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) attended the meeting. NDRF Chief O P Singh said the force plans to concentrate in the areas of<br/>south Chennai which are the worst affected. <br/> <br/>He said the force has deployed about 110 inflatable and other kinds of boats and separate assortment of buoys and life jackets with the rescue and relief teams so that the needy and the marooned get help. The meeting also decided to move two additional columns of the army in these areas even as officials of these central departments were asked to keep in constant touch with their Tamil Nadu counterparts.