Gajapati district faces landslides and traffic disruptions amid cyclone Montha

Berhampur: Road communication in different parts of Gajapati district was disrupted on Tuesday following landslides and uprooting of trees as heavy rain lashed the area under the influence of cyclone Montha.A big boulder blocked the Anagha-Baranga road in R.Udayagiri block after landslides. Similarly, landslides also took place on Linga-Barava road in Kashinagar block while a huge tree on the roadside of Nuagada-Udayapur road fell in the rain disrupting communication until fire-fighters cleared the road.Communication was restored at other places too. The NDRF team along with fire services personnel rushed to Anagha and tried to remove the boulders that blocked the roads by blasting, said a senior officer. The road clearance work was hampered due to heavy rain, he said. Damage to kutcha houses have also been reported in Mohana.The district witnessed heavy rain under the influence of cyclone Montha. The district recorded an average of 73.84 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours till 8am. Highest rainfall was recorded in Gosani block (115 mm) followed by Mohana (112.8 mm), Paralakhemundi (87.2 mm), G. Udayagiri (87 mm), Kashinagar (50.8 mm).Gajapati collector Madhumita said they have shifted over 10,000 people from the hilly, vulnerable and low-lying areas to safer places. “We have deployed seven senior officers to monitor and supervise the situation,” she said.Sub-collector, Paralakhemundi, Anup Panda said they have rescued 24 people belonging to Chhatisgarh from Adava. They have been housed in a school in Adava. These people are suspected to be the nomads and they have no houses in the district. He said all roads in Mohana block have been cleared.