Nellore/ Anantapur: As many as 16 trains have been cancelled and a few trains diverted and partially cancelled due to water overflowing above the danger level on Railway Bridge No. 167 between Tada and Sullurpet stations on Gudur-Chennai section and bank slip between Yellakaru and Venkatagiri stations and Vendodu - Kondagu-nta stations in Nellore district on Tuesday.
The breaches on the national highway near Manubolu and cancellation of trains caused innumerable problems to commuters. However, one track towards Chennai was restored on Tuesday afternoon, paving the way for five express trains that were stranded in different stations to proceed to Che-nnai. The trains were Viv-ek Express from Rajendra Nagar to Kanyakumari, Howrah to Villipuram, Bikaner to Chennai, How-rah to Chennai Corama-ndal Express and Garib Rath from New Delhi to Chennai.
Kerala Express bound for Trivandrum from New Delhi is also now being run on the regular route up to Gudur. Railway station manager of Nellore, Mr Anthony Jayraj, said that one line towards Renigunta from Gudur was also likely to be ready by Tuesday night.
He said that they had distributed 2,000 food packets to passengers. The administration also dispatched 3,500 food packets and 10,000 water sachets to the Gudur railway station.
A passenger special from Gudur to Vijayaw-ada was being operated for the benefit of passengers stranded in Gudur.
Meanwhile three coaches of the Guwahati-Che-nnai Express derailed ne-ar Darga area at Mantapa-mpalli between Nandalur and Vontimitta railway stations in Kadapa district early on Tuesday due to water on the tracks. The S6,S7 and S8 coaches of the Guwahati express derailed and got struck in the mud.
However, there were no casualties or injuries after the engine driver stopped the train and a major mishap was averted.Railway officials said the derailment occurred due to mud settling on a portion of the railway track as water flowed over it due to the heavy rains in the last four days in Rajampeta division.
Derailment of the train meanwhile resulted in several other trains on the route getting detained for at least five hours. Trains between Tirupati and Chennai route were stopped en route on account of the derailment.
The Haripriya Express was temporary halted at Yerraguntla railway station, the Venkatadri Express was stopped at Kamalapuram and Chennai-Egmore Express at Bhakrapet railway station in Kadapa district.
Railway officials rushed the spot to speed up efforts to clear the track at Mantapampalli and removed the three derailed coaches from the track. The remaining bogies were attached to the engine. Later, the teams restored movement of trains.
12,000 people evacuated
Two persons drowned in a village tank at Rettapalli in Chillakur mandal while trying to arrest a breach on Tuesday. The body of an unidentified person was found in a stream at Degapudi in Podalakur mandal.
A one-and-half-year old boy was killed and his parents injured when a wall collapsed at Kovur. Joint collector Md. Imtiaz said they had rushed the parents, who are from Srikakulam, to a super specialty hospital in Nellore for treatment.
Although Gudur and Nayudupeta divisions got some respite from rains on Tuesday, the situation was grim in Nellore district as 86 habitations in 11 mandals were inaccessible following heavy rains over the last two days. Gudur and Nayudupeta mandals were the worst hit.
District officials’ plans to airdrop food pockets in the marooned habitations failed after two helicopters they had requisitioned from Indian Air Force returned to Chennai even before reaching Nellore due to bad weather conditions.
Nearly 12,000 people were evacuated from different parts of the district and housed in 102 relief camps. R&B roads to the extent of 427 km and 371 km of Panchayat Raj roads have been damaged.
Nearly 200 irrigation ta-nks suffered breaches wh-ile locals themselves brea-ched few of the tanks, wh-ich were full, fearing thr-eat to their habitations. This led to inundation of roads, railway track and villages in the downstream.
Three NDRF teams rus-hed to Manubolu and rescued the pubic struck in marooned habitations aft-er reaching the spot by motor boats on Tuesday. The teams also ferried pe-ople coming to Nellore fr-om Chennai, Bengaluru and Tirupati as their vehicles got struck on the ot-her side of breached highway. NDRF teams rescued 22 persons working in an aqua farm at Chittamuru and 70 workers from a factory in Nayudupeta mandal.
Horticulture crops damaged were on 409.8 hectare and thousands of acres of paddy was under water. The status of the crops would be known only after water the receded, officials said.
Trains services were also badly hit due to water flowing on the tracks between Nellore and Chenna and Gudur and Renigunta. However one track towards Chennai from Nellore was restored by Tuesday afternoon, paving way for movement of four express trains from Nellore.
Urban development minister Dr P. Narayana and transport minister Sidda Raghava Rao inspected some affected areas on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, National Highways officials rushed boulders and other material required to cover the breach on the National Highway. General manager of National Highways Authority, Mr A.B. Rao said that they were trying their best to restore traffic by Wednesday morning.
Hundreds of vehicles stranded on both sides of the highway and passengers of a Volvo bus bound for Guntur had a harrowing experience as the vehicle was engulfed in water.
Gudur rural and Chillakur police rescued 40 passengers and forcibly pulled the driver out of the vehicle when he refused to leave. Incidentally the bus was washed away in swirling waters soon after the rescue operation.
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