Cuttack/Puri/Bhubaneswar: Heavy rainfall, let loose by cyclone Titli since Thursday, threw life into a tailspin in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Puri Friday.
In Cuttack, water entered several houses in the low-lying areas of Raja Bachicha, Labour Colony, Roxy Lane, Badambadi, Barapathara, Meria Bazaar, Rausapatna and Patapola. The residents of these areas complained the local corporator, Mayor and MLA have not visited them.
The Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has engaged 242 high-capacity pumps to flush out water from these areas.
After the heavy overnight rain in Bhubaneswar, water entered houses in the low-lying areas of Bairagi Nagar, Acharya Vihar, Jayadev Vihar, Nayapalli, Samantarapur, Nuagan, Shastri Nagar, Sailashree Vihar and Gouri Garden.
Rainwater also flooded National Highway-16 at Vani Vihar, Acharya Vihar, Jayadev Vihar and near the Iskcon Temple in Nayapalli. Vehicles could be seen crawling through waterlogged roads in these areas.
The heavy rain which began in the city at around 9 pm Thursday continued till 1pm Friday. Many cars and other vehicles were damaged in the heavy rains. A car was damaged near Nayapalli in Bera Crown Hotel when a tree fell on it. A person was injured and was admitted to a nearby hospital. While low-lying areas were inundated in many districts disrupting road traffic, railway lines were also damaged as fallen trees blocked tracks. Gusty winds and broken electric poles also threatened rail traffic.
Puri also faced a flood-like situation with waist deep water in many areas. People could be seen wading through knee-deep water on the VIP Road in Puri.
Although it stopped raining after 10am, roads remained waterlogged. The district administration is trying to drain the water by using pumps. Areas like Mati Tota, Sujata Nagar, Matia Pada and Siddha Mahavira are waterlogged.
“We have been facing this problem since three years. Water from many drains gush into VIP Road whenever it rains heavily. We have informed the government about this problem through the district administration on several occasions, but in vain. Some municipal officers once visited the spot to check out things, but nothing was done,” said a resident.
Not only Badadanda, houses in several areas of Puri like Siddha Mahavira Patna, Ramachandi Sahi, Balikuda Basti, Baliapanda Basti, Marutinagar and Chudanga were also flooded.
Many organisations sent relief material to cyclone-hit areas Friday. Kalpana Das, a member of the Red Cross, said they are sending rice, chaatu and water bottles to the collectorate from where it is sent to affected areas.
