All major industrial units in Visakhapatnam have suffered extensive damage in Cyclone Hudhud on Sunday. The international airport is likely to resume commercial operations on a limited scale in a week.
A public sector official said it was difficult to quantify loss as some more time was needed for assessing the extent of damage.
Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd., the corporate identity of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, hit hard by grid failure, has shut down operations. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the damage to the plant was estimated at Rs. 700 crore.
The hull shop and other infrastructure of Hindustan Shipyard Ltd., a Defence Ministry enterprise, were blown away. Heavy winds not only uprooted communication installations but also blew away sheds and workshops. Telephones, both landline and mobile, are dead. Thin attendance was reported at various factories.
“It’s a colossal loss to the industries. We hope that with timely restoration effort, normality is brought back soon,” CII Vizag Zone Chairman and former Deputy Chairman of Visakhapatnam Port G.V.L. Satya Kumar said.
The Visakhapatnam and the Gangavaram ports, which together handle 85 million tonnes, have suspended operations.
