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Visakhapatnam: Road transport services across Andhra Pradesh came to a near standstill on Wednesday due to severe disruptions across districts in the context of Cyclone Montha’s impact.Reports from districts said several roads remained blocked by fallen trees amid water-logging and overflowing of streams.In a dramatic episode near Gundlakamma in Prakasam district, three staff members restoring a drinking water scheme got stranded in the flooded area along with three others who attempted to rescue them by boat. One person has been brought to safety as per reports in the evening. The Parchur area of Bapatla district is marooned, with water flooding the roads and forcing the people to move to fields. Police rescued 20 devotees trapped in a prayer hall as floodwater leapt up to the tahsildar's office in Upputur. The severe cyclonic conditions triggered a landslide near Tunnel 32A between Borra and Similiguda, causing extensive damage to railway infrastructure. The landslide filled the tunnel with mud and debris, with floodwaters flowing over the damaged track section. The track was cleared for traffic on Wednesday. Road communications remained severely affected due to fallen trees and extensive water-logging across multiple districts. In Vizianagaram district, roads have been damaged in Rajam, Bobbili, Saluru and their surrounding areas due to persistent water-logging over the past four days. The Bobbili-Parvathipuram route, already in a bad condition before the cyclone, turned defunct. In the Anakapalli region, R&B roads totaling 150.673km have been affected across 15 mandals. A 100-metre PRI stretch in Madugula mandal from Mukundapuram to Vantarlapalem has also been damaged. The authorities have temporarily suspended vehicle movement on the Araku and Ananthagiri ghat roads following boulder falls and dangerous water flows along the mountain stretch. In Nandyal district, the Kundu river and Maddileru Chamakaluva were overflowing. Heavy flow of floodwater from the Boyarevula bridge brought local traffic to a complete halt.The Shivapuram Peddavagu overflow in Kothapalli mandal has disrupted connectivity to 11 villages, while floodwaters on the Kurnool-Guntur main road have further hampered movement. The inflow into the Shivabhashyam Sagar project has increased, prompting officials to lift the gates and release excess water. The Dornala Ghat road from Srisailam remains blocked as rainwater flows were heavy across the road at Thummalabailu and Chintala. Water was gushing over the Chinna bridge at Lingalagattu near the Srisailam dam, preventing vehicle movement in the area. In Nellore district, floodwaters from the Tellapadu stream have submerged the road between AS Peta and Atmakur. Prakasam district faces similar challenges with multiple streams, including Sagileru, Enumaler and Gundlakamma overflowing due to incessant rainfall. Water bodies like Ramanna Cheruvu (Chadalawada) and Pellur Cheruvu (Pelluru) are also overflowing. Flights: Air services have been severely disrupted here since Monday. Two flights connecting Visakhapatnam with Vijayawada and Hyderabad were cancelled on Wednesday. The IX 2885/2745 Hyderabad-Visakhapatnam-Hyderabad service was cancelled due to tailwinds exceeding operating limits. Airport authorities in Vijayawada have announced that flight services have resumed at the international airport there while the operations in Visakhapatnam too would resume if and when weather conditions are favorable. The railway network cancelled more than 50 trains on the first day of the disruption. As of Wednesday, three trains to Kirandul and Koraput remained cancelled, though other services have gradually resumed operations. APSRTC has cancelled more than half of its services across AP over the past three days. Its services were completely suspended in Sirivella, leaving passengers and motorists stranded as the Okkileru stream overflowed near Khadara Badara village.
