Visakhapatnam came to a standstill due to Montha storm,
There is currently high alert in the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Southern Odisha. Cyclone Montha, which originated from the Bay of Bengal, has transformed into a ‘severe cyclonic storm’. There is a possibility of it hitting the coast near Kakinada tonight i.e. Tuesday night. In view of this huge threat, unprecedented steps have been taken for the safety of passengers. All flights and 32 important trains to and from Visakhapatnam, the major city in the path of the storm, have been cancelled, bringing a sudden halt to the journey of thousands of passengers.
center of storm kakinada
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), this storm formed over the west-central Bay of Bengal has now become extremely dangerous. IMD has warned that ‘Montha’ will make landfall near Kakinada on Andhra Pradesh coast during Tuesday evening or night. That means the storm will hit the land. Even before the storm hits the land, its effects have started becoming visible. As a precautionary measure, the administration has decided to close the travel network for the time being so that no passenger gets stranded at the peak of the storm and any loss of life or property can be avoided.
Railways canceled 32 trains, routes of many were changed
East Coast Railway has made large-scale changes in operations in view of cyclone ‘Montha’. While giving information to the media, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Deepak Raut said that the safety of passengers is our top priority. In view of this, it has been decided to cancel 32 trains passing through Visakhapatnam.
He said that local MEMU and other trains scheduled to depart on Tuesday have also been cancelled. Railways was trying to maintain normal train operations till 4 pm on Tuesday, but in view of the danger, this tough decision had to be taken. Shri Raut clarified that the complete list of all canceled trains has been made available on the social media pages and digital platforms of the Railways, so that passengers do not face any inconvenience.
Mr. Raut also said that not only the cancellation, but the routes of many trains have also been changed. Tata Nagar-Ernakulam Express has been diverted, that is, it is being run on a changed route. Additionally, two trains—Bhubaneswar-Jagdalpur Express and Rourkela-Jagdalpur Intercity Express—have been short-terminated, meaning they will not reach their destinations and will terminate the journey early.
Vizag airport stalled
The storm has had a bad impact not only on the rail network but also on air traffic. All activities came to a standstill at Visakhapatnam Airport on Tuesday. Airport director N. Purushottam told news agency PTI that all 32 flights scheduled to operate today have been cancelled. These include both domestic and international flights.
He told that on Monday (October 27) also, two Air India Express flights had to be cancelled, although the remaining 30 flights were operated that day. As per Airport Authority of India (AAI) guidelines, all necessary pre- and post-cyclone preparations and precautions are being taken at the airport to deal with the storm.
Apart from Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada Airport was also significantly affected by the storm. According to Vijayawada Director Laxmikant Reddy, 16 flights to various destinations including Delhi and Mumbai were canceled on Tuesday, although five flights managed to operate in the morning. Airlines have decided to suspend operations for today and the situation on Wednesday’s flights is expected to be clear by evening. Similarly, there is news of cancellation of four flights at Tirupati Airport also.