The flow of vehicular traffic on the important NH44 at the inter-State border on Penganga road bridge in Adilabad district in Andhra Pradesh continued to be suspended on Friday as there was no sign of abatement of flood in the Penganga river. This development impacts heavily on flow of goods between the North and South of the country as the Penganga bridge is the key link between the two regions from Central India.
There is little likelihood of traffic being resumed during the day as more flood water is being released from the Upper Penganga, Upper and Lower Poos dams in Maharashtra is expected to reach here. The Project Director of Nirmal Project Implementation Unit of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) K. Srinivasulu told The Hindu that traffic will not be allowed as long as the level of flow remains above the high flood level (HFL) at the bridge.
The long queues of lorries and other heavy vehicles on either side of the border continued to lengthen during the day. Passengers on this route faced problems after being stuck in the jam.
Meanwhile, scores of villages in Adilabad district which lie on the banks of Penganga lay marooned as the river breached its banks at several places. Water logging in thousands of hectares of agriculture field was also caused as swollen local streams could not discharge into the overflowing river on Adilabad-Maharashtra border.
The district administration had geared up to provide relief to the stranded people. Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are expected any time during the day.
