GUNTUR: The Andhra Pradesh government will have to factor in occasional nature’s wrath as well in its plans to build a new capital for the State. Amaravathi was on Thursday cut off from the rest of Guntur district due to heavy rain.
The town, which will in all likelihood be part of the capital, was battered and traffic on the Amaravathi-Guntur and Amaravathi-Vijayawada routes had to be stopped due to overflowing streams. Even in the town, people in low-lying areas had to contend with inundation.
Two major streams Kondaveeti Vagu and Mella Vagu are overflowing on the Amaravathi-Vijayawada route by Thursday night. Kondaveeti Vagu at Endrai and Mella Vagu at Narukullapadu are flowing at a height of more than 4 ft. Both these streams merge in river Krishna near Amaravathi.
As the road network has been severed, about 50 APSRTC services between Guntur and Amaravathi have been cancelled. Guntur regional manager PV Rama Rao said bus services to Amaravathi can be restored only after the water level recedes.
In Amaravathi town, flood water is flowing above two ft in low-lying areas like Gandhi Bomma Centre and Bandachenu Colony among others.
“Rain started Wednesday night and it has been raining till afternoon. Though the situation is under control, many have cancelled journeys due to lack of transport facilities,” said Alla Lakshminarayana , a resident of Amaravati. Agricultural fields around Amaravathi too were completely inundated and farmers fear several crops may have been damaged.