Puri: Life came to a standstill in several parts of Odisha on Friday as incessant rain led to waterlogging in low-lying areas and snapped road links.
The Pilgrim Town of Puri has been experiencing an artificial flood-like situation with waist-deep at various parts, including the low-lying areas.
People could be seen wading through knee-deep water on the VIP Road in Puri. Though it had stopped raining since 7 am, roads continued to remain waterlogged.
The district administration had been trying to drain out the water by using pump sets.
Mati Tota, Sujata Nagar, Matia Pada and Siddha Mahavira areas are also waterlogged. ‘
“We have been dabbling with this problem since the last three years. Rainwater from many drains gush into the VIP Road whenever it rains heavily. We have informed about this problem to the state government through the district administration on several occasion, but in vain. Some officers of the municipality office once visited the spot to supervise the situation, but no step has been taken to rectify the problem,” said a local resident.
During Bahuda Yatra, the return journey of Lord Jagannath and his divine siblings to Srimandir, overnight rain had submerged the Bada Danda near the Jagannath Temple.
The three chariots, Nandighosa, Taladhwaja and Darpadalan, which were stationed in front of the Nakachana Dwar of the Gundicha temple, were also surrounded by knee-deep water.
Not only Bada Danda, houses in several areas in Puri, including Siddha Mahavira Patna, Ramachandi Sahi, Balikuda Basti, Baliapanda Basti, Marutinagar and Chudanga were inanudated at that time.
