Normal life has been thrown totally out of gears in Koraput district since Friday due to heavy rains coupled with a bandh called by Maoists.
The rain have been lashing the district since Thursday night with the highest of 131-mm rainfall recorded from Korukonda block.
The downpours have led to flooding of arterial roads and routes connecting the district headquarters town, thereby affecting traffic movement. The district headquarters town remained cutoff from Motu, Kalimela, Balimela, Chitrakonda, Khairput, Mathili and Podia as rainwater was flowing 4-5 feet high above the low-lying bridges at Korukonda, Tarlakota, Potteru and Pangam between Malkangiri-Balimela-Chitrakonda and Malkangiri-Mathili-Jeypore.
Besides, the bandh call given by the Malkangiri-Koraput-Visakhapatnam Border (MKVB) Division of CPI(Maoist) protesting the Polavaram project brought traffic at different places to a standstill. Passengers faced a harrowing time as Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) and private buses remained off roads. Hundreds of commuters were stranded at different places, including the Malkangiri bus-stand. Vehicular traffic was also hit in the Maoist hotbed of Kalimela. However, business establishments remained open as usual.
Communication on the State Highway between Jeypore and Malkangiri was also affected because of a landslide at Govindpalli Ghat due to heavy downpours during the last 24 hours. A flood-like situation could not be ruled out in the district if the rains continued.
With rains showing no signs of relenting, the district administration started evacuating people residing in the low-lying areas under Mathili panchayat. Teams comprising personnel of Fire, Health and Police departments as well as PRI members were pressed into service for shifting people residing near Atalguda river of Gangrajgumma in the Mathili area to safer places, said Collector Manish Agarwal.