Road communication between Koraput in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, snapped due to blocking of NH-26 by uprooted trees during Cyclone Hudhud, has been restored.
“The work on clearing the highway was undertaken on Monday and the fallen trees and debris have been removed to facilitate traffic movement between the neighbouring states,” Koraput district Collector Yamini Sarangi said on Tuesday.
Around 100 personnel of ODRAF and NDRF and 10 teams of woodcutters were pressed into service to clear the main road connecting Salur in Andhra Pradesh with Sunki in Odisha.
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Huge trees were uprooted at more than 50 places along the 40-km highway by strong winds, blowing at 70 to 80 kmph, after Hudhud hit the coast near Visakhapatnam on Sunday noon, officials said.
With bus and train services suspended for the second consecutive day on Monday, passengers in Koraput, Rayagada and Malkangiri had a harrowing time. Many were stranded at bus stops, exploring options to reach their destinations. Taxis were in demand. The services were suspended on Sunday to prevent any mishap during the cyclonic storm.
“We decided against plying buses on Monday as trees uprooted in the strong winds blocked most roads in Koraput,” district transport manager of Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (Jeypore) Rajendra Pujari said.
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Bus services are likely to resume on Tuesday.
Trains from Koraput to Bhubaneswar, Vizag, Rayagada, Kolkata, Sambalpur and Durg were either cancelled or short-terminated. “Tracks between Koraput and Rayagada were blocked by debris at several places following landslides,” station manager, Koraput railway station, Jogendra Nath Majhi said.
Efforts were on to clear the tracks.