Portion of Panagarh-Margram National Highway washed away

Kolkata: Movement of vehicles was affected since Saturday night when a portion of Panagarh-Margram National Highway was washed away at Suri in Birbhum.

According to the local people, water released from Tilpara reservoir led to the incident. On Saturday night, the local people had noticed that the canal through which the water passes from river Mayurakhi was overflowing.

Apprehending that it could lead to disaster, the local people had taken necessary precautions.

Early morning, locals found the portion getting washed away. It was around 10 feet of the stretch that was washed away.

The incident led to harassment of common people as it became the cause of major traffic congestion in the area. Policemen from the local police station went to the spot soon after getting the information. The police cordoned off the area and did not allow common people to go close.

The vehicles which were heading to different parts including Midnapore, Bankura, Birbhum and Murshidabad could not ply on the major thoroughfare which lead to inconvenience.

Hundreds of heavy trucks carrying essential goods to different parts of these districts use the road. Local people and traders urged the concerned officials to take necessary steps so that the repairing work can be done as early as possible.

Concerned officials visited the spot to inspect what had actually taken place.

The repairing work would be initiated as early as possible and it will be undertaken on a war footing so that the road can be opened as early as possible, the official said. It may be recalled that around 1,000 km stretch of roads were damaged during the recent flood that had left 11 districts badly affected. The state government is taking all necessary measures to get the roads repaired.