Bhubaneswar: The Nor’wester rain accompained by thunderstorm and gusty surface wind has severely affected normal life in several parts of the state including the Twin Cities ofCuttack and Bhubaneswar since Wednesday morning.
Many people were stranded at the railway station as also different bus stations including the Baramunda inter-state bus station here. Office-goers were among the worst-affected. Train services were hit badly. Overhead wires snapped due to storm at some places while the signalling system also suffered snags.
Passengers had a difficult time arriving and exiting at the Capital railway station. Water-logging at the station due to roof leak added to the commuters’ woes.
Severe water-logging was evident in low-lying areas. The situation was the worst in Acharya Vihar, Jayadev Vihar and Nayapalli localities where roads saw knee-deep water. Both pdestrians and motorists were stranded.
Rail services on the Bhadrak-Bhubaneswar-Puri route were affected due to snapping of wires and signal malfunctioning.
Weather office director Sarat Chandra Sahu said, “The cloud formation has already crossed Balasore, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar and is moving towards south. Bhubaneswar and Cuttack are having heavy rainfall since morning as a result. The cloud mark is likely to move towards Puri now and then to the Bay of Bengal,” he said.
The weather office had issued a thunderstorm warning for 15 districts of the state till 11.30am. People of these districts have been asked to remain alert as thunderstorm accompanied by hail and gusty surface winds reaching a speed as high as 50 to 60kmph, has been forecast for several districts.
