Nor’wester Hits Normal Life In Odisha Capital; Road & Rail Traffic Disrupted

Bhubaneswar: Nor’wester-triggered thunderstorm, rain and heavy winds disrupted road and train movement in Odisha capital on Wednesday.

The heavy downpour that lasted for more than three hours, threw vehicular traffic out of gear with major roads, including National Highway-16 in front of ISKCON temple Nayapalli, Jaydev Vihar, Acharya Vihar and Old Town getting waterlogged.

However, it brought much-needed respite from the prevailing hot and humid conditions.

“Lack of proper drainage system forced many residents of Gouri Nagar in Old Town area to either vacate their houses or struggle draining out the rainwater,” said Ramesh, a local resident.

Train traffic was affected at Sarakantara near Lingaraj railway station after a portion of 33-KV high tension wire fell on Puri-Cuttack passenger train.

Fortunately, there was no loss of life as there was no power. As the train was detained at the site for more than two hours, the passengers had to walk from Sarakantara to Lingaraj station completely drenched in rain. Many other trains were cancelled on several routes after signalling systems near different railway stations developed some technical glitches due to heavy rain.

Similar was the condition in Puri town as the Bada Danda (Grand Road) was submerged in knee-deep water, leaving the tourists stranded and disrupting the ongoing chariot construction work.

In Cuttack, severe water-logging was reported from Odia Bazaar, Sutahat, Roxy Lane and Badambadi areas, where vehicular movement was badly affected for several hours.