A huge boulder rolled down the Indrakeeladri opposite Durga Ghat around 10.30 a.m. on September 11 (Monday) following heavy rain the previous night in Vijayawada. No injuries were reported.
“We should consider ourselves fortunate as no person was present at the site though the incident happened during the peak hour. Due to the rain, many had stayed indoors. Four motorcycles, which were stationed nearby, were damaged,” Traffic Inspector M. Sudhakar, who was present at the site, said.
Traffic has been blocked since the time of the incident and work on removing the boulders and mud scattered across the road is still going on till 8 p.m. “We began the work immediately after the incident. It will take two more hours to clear them,” Mr. Sudhakar said, adding that they have received instructions to ensure that the traffic is resumed by September 12 (Tuesday) morning. At present, road users are being diverted to Chitti Nagar and flyover.
Later in the evening, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Endowments Minister Kottu Satyanarayana, along with Endowments Commissioner S. Satyanarayana and Sri Durga Malleswara Swamywarla Devasthanam Executive Officer D. Bhramaramba, inspected the site.
Speaking to the media, he said, “We have spoken to a professor from IIT Madras and asked for his suggestions to prevent such incidents in future.”
