Heavy rain lashes Tirupati, disrupts public life

Pedestrians on Tiruchanur Road using a polythene cover to protect themselves from the sudden rain that lashed Tirupati on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: K.V. POORNACHANDRA KUMAR

Heavy rain, accompanied by gales, lashed Tirupati district on Sunday (May 4), disrupting public life. The temple city witnessed a sudden downpour from morning to afternoon and winds uprooting many trees and bringing down hoardings.

Tree branches fell on electric poles and snapped the cables, which dangled over the road at several places in Kapila Theertham Road, Tiruchanur Road, Bairagipatteda, leading to power disruption for a couple of hours in the afternoon.

Officials having the collapsed branches of a tree removed from the Railway Under Bridge at Rayalacheruvu Road in Tirupati on Sunday.
| Photo Credit:
K.V. POORNACHANDRA KUMAR

A branch fell straight on the Railway Under Bridge at Rayala Cheruvu Road, close to the Tirupati railway station, bringing traffic to a halt. The Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) and AP Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL) removed the branches using earth movers and restored traffic in an hour.

Rainwater stagnated at under passes across the city for a long time before the civic staff drained it. Though many welcomed a respite from the heat, overflowing sewers made commute miserable for pedestrians and motorcyclists.

Meanwhile, the rain threw to the winds the schedules of Tirumala-bound pilgrims.