Daringbadi: Authorities in Kandhamal and Ganjam districts have sealed Gazalbadi Ghat road at both ends as a precaution against possible landslides amid fears over Cyclone Arnab.
Acting on Kandhamal Collector Vedbhushan’s instructions, Daringbadi BDO Pritiranjan Rath, tehsildar Dhiraj Patra and police IIC Sangram Keshari Jena reached Baimala check gate on the Ganjam-Kandhamal border and closed the route.
Police personnel have been deployed to enforce the restriction. Vehicles from Daringbadi heading towards Bhanjanagar, Sorada and Brahmapur in Ganjam are barred from using the ghat.
Similarly, police under Sorada IIC Sunil Pradhan have sealed the road at Gazalbadi, preventing vehicles from Ganjam from entering Kandhamal through the stretch.
The narrow, hilly road is prone to landslides during cyclones and low-pressure systems, with previous weather disturbances triggering landslides along the route.
Authorities restricted traffic in view of forecasts of heavy to very heavy rainfall.
The alternative route between Daringbadi and Baliguda and Brahmapur passes through Brahmanigaon in Kandhamal, followed by Adaba and Mohana in Gajapati district.