Cyclone Murasu has caused waterlogging and operational disruptions in parts of Andhra Pradesh’s NTR district, particularly Machilipatnam, even as District Collector G. Lakshmisha said the overall situation remained under control and no untoward incidents had been reported so far.
Speaking to ANI, Lakshmisha said the district administration was monitoring rainfall, the Budameru catchment area and road conditions. He said the district had received average rainfall of about 1.52 to 2 millimetres per hour, with around 6 millimetres recorded over two hours. According to the Collector, there was no imminent threat from the catchment area and the situation was not alarming.
The administration has deployed road-clearing and monitoring teams across the district. Lakshmisha said there were no major roadblocks or disruptions in most areas, while Fire and Rescue Services personnel were removing uprooted trees from highways to prevent interruptions to vehicular movement and restore normal transport services.
The cyclone’s impact was more visible in Machilipatnam, where incessant rain since the previous night inundated several areas. Waterlogging affected parts of the town and disrupted the movement of staff involved in counting votes for local-body elections. Strong winds at the counting centre established at Krishna University blew away tents, prompting municipal workers to undertake repairs.
The district administration arranged special buses to transport staff to the counting centres after rain affected their travel. Officials were also working to repair the damaged tents so that the counting process could continue without obstruction. The vote counting began at 8 am, and the Collector said staff and agents had reached on time despite the weather in most locations.
Elaborate arrangements were made in the Vijayawada Corporation limits because of the large number of votes being counted there. Lakshmisha said counting was being conducted according to Election Commission norms, with measures intended to prevent errors. Heavy security was deployed outside the counting centres, while law-and-order conditions were being monitored.
The Collector asked residents to follow official safety instructions, avoid unnecessary travel and limit outdoor movement while the cyclone’s effects continued. He also appealed to residents to cooperate if officials instructed them to move to rehabilitation centres. Political party representatives and counting agents were asked to coordinate with election officials and contact the Returning Officer or the Collectorate Control Room if they had concerns.
Lakshmisha further urged people not to spread or believe rumours and false propaganda. He said the district administration would continue monitoring conditions for the next 24 to 36 hours, while road-clearing, rainfall monitoring and public-safety operations remained in progress.
