KEONJHAR: Vehicular movement was disrupted on NH-49 after incessant rains caused landslides at Kanjipani and Judia ghats near Keonjhar town on Saturday.
The landslide at Kanjipani ghat completely blocked a side of the highway, leading to the closure of the route for around 15 hours. After the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) cleared the debris, traffic resumed on the route at around 8 pm on Sunday.
A similar landslide was reported from Judia ghat, as heavy rain caused large rocks to fall onto NH-49 at seven locations. One side of the highway has remained blocked for more than 30 hours, with authorities expecting traffic to return to normal by around 9 pm on Sunday. However, heavy rain has slowed down the clearing operations.
Sources said as vehicles are being diverted to a single lane, traffic congestion has also been reported on the highway.
The NHAI has deployed three porcelain machines, six Hyva trucks, three earthmovers and a Hydra crane for the clearing operation. NHAI project director Karthik Reddy was present at the spot and monitored the situation.
Meanwhile, the weekly grievance hearing of the district collector and the SP, scheduled to be held at Joda on Monday, has been postponed until further orders following prediction of heavy rainfall in the district.
The public has been advised to avoid unnecessary travel and remain alert to weather-related hazards. The collector has ordered closure of all schools, colleges and anganwadi centres in Keonjhar on Monday.