Chennai flood shelters are set to include university buildings and college premises under a Tamil Nadu government plan for people affected by the rains, Higher Education Minister P. Viswanathan said on Sunday. The plan also involves National Cadet Corps (NCC) and National Service Scheme (NSS) students in relief activities, including the distribution of essential food items and support for flood-affected residents.
Speaking to the media at the airport, Viswanathan said the government had discussed using NCC and NSS volunteers to provide food, milk and bread to people affected by the rains. The proposed use of higher-education campuses would add institutional spaces to the available shelter network, although the report did not specify the buildings selected, their capacity or when they would be opened.
The minister said 6,000 students and 250 coordinators from 40 to 50 colleges in Chennai are involved in the NCC and NSS effort. Their participation is expected to support relief distribution and other assistance during the flooding. The source report did not provide details on the areas where these volunteers would be deployed or the arrangements for transporting supplies and residents.
A meeting is scheduled at Madras University on October 23 to brief NCC and NSS students on operating small boats and life-saving boats. The training is intended to prepare volunteers to assist people during floods, including in situations where waterlogging or inundation restricts road access. The report did not state whether the students would operate the boats independently or alongside trained emergency and disaster-response personnel.
Using colleges and universities as emergency shelters places public educational infrastructure within the wider flood-response system. Such buildings can provide large enclosed spaces for temporary accommodation, but their operational readiness would depend on access, sanitation, electricity, drinking water, medical support, food supply and arrangements for vulnerable residents. None of those facility-level details were provided in the announcement.
The plan also expands the role of students and college coordinators beyond campus activities, linking the higher-education network to immediate municipal and state relief operations. The next reported milestone is the October 23 meeting at Madras University, where guidance on boat operations and life-saving equipment is to be provided to participating NCC and NSS students.
