Heavy rains in Tirupati hit flight operations

Tirupati, Oct 16 (IANS) Heavy rains in Andhra Pradesh's Tirupati affected flight operations at Renigunta Airport and triggered landslides on the hill road to Tirumala temple on Wednesday.

Due to water stagnation on the runway, a couple of flights coming from Hyderabad were diverted to Chennai.

The road leading to the airport was also inundated due to the continued downpour.

Heavy rains lashing the temple town since Tuesday have inundated low-lying areas and disrupted normal life. Meanwhile, landslides on the Ghat road have affected the vehicular movement to Sri Venkateswara temple atop Tirumala hill.

Authorities pressed JCBs into operation to remove the boulders on the road which connects Tirupati to Tirumala.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the affairs of the famous hill shrine, is taking steps to ensure smooth movement of traffic. Incessant rains are causing hardships to the pilgrims visiting the temple. The TTD has cancelled VIP break darshan on Wednesday to minimise the inconvenience to the pilgrims in view of heavy rains.

Many parts of Tirupati district have been receiving heavy rains. The authorities have opened control rooms at the district Collectorate and at mandal and division levels.

Rainwater from Tirumala hill is flowing down to Tirupati, inundating low-lying areas. Roads were submerged at several places, affecting vehicular traffic. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were kept on standby at the Gudur sub-collectorate. IIT Tirupati recorded 175 mm rainfall during the last 24 hours that ended at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Renigunta recorded a rainfall of 131 mm.

Heavy rains have been lashing Nellore, Prakasam district in south coastal Andhra and parts of Rayalaseema region under the impact of depression in the Bay of Bengal. Rivulets, streams, lakes and ponds were overflowing in Nellore district. Some villages were cut off due to heavy rains.

In YSR Kadapa and Nandyal districts, authorities declared a holiday for educational institutions as a precautionary measure. Rains were also lashing Annamayya district.