Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh: Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu over south coastal Andhra Pradesh continues to affect normal activities in the region on Tuesday, with heavy rainfall delaying urban local election vote counting in Vijayawada and slowing the counting process in Guntur, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issues a red alert for Andhra Pradesh.
In Vijayawada, vote counting for the local body elections began around two-and-a-half hours late due to heavy rains. Officials initially took up the counting of postal ballots, while the counting process is being conducted in separate halls ward-wise for the East, West and Central constituencies.
The cyclone has also affected agricultural and allied activities in the coastal region. Salt pans and agricultural fields in and around Ongole have suffered extensive damage due to the impact of Murasu. Heavy rains and strong winds have severely affected salt production and damaged standing crops, leaving farmers and salt pan workers facing significant losses.
The impact of the cyclone and associated heavy rainfall was also reflected in railway operations. In a passenger advisory issued on Tuesday, South Coast Railway's Vijayawada Division announced the temporary suspension of train movement on the Vijayawada-Ongole-Gudur section following gale-force winds recorded at Karavadi Station.
Train services on the section are being regulated at originating and en-route stations until further notice. A total of 29 trains have been regulated. Certain trains have also been cancelled, diverted or rescheduled due to cyclone-related conditions.
Passengers have been requested to cooperate, with the railway authorities expressing regret over the inconvenience caused and reiterating that passenger safety remains their priority.
Earlier, despite the delay, the counting process in the NTR district began at 8 am, with agents and staff reaching the centres on time despite the rains.
NTR District Collector Dr G Lakshmisha said the counting of votes for local body elections was proceeding peacefully across the district, which has five local bodies.
"The counting of votes for the local body elections is underway in the NTR district. In the entire district, the local body election counting process has started. We have five local bodies… Everything is going peacefully… Police security is in place everywhere… Everyone is cooperating… The spirit of the free and fair elections is upheld," he told ANI.
Counting of votes for elections to 92 urban local bodies across Andhra Pradesh also began on Tuesday. The exercise covers 13 municipal corporations and 79 municipalities and Nagar Panchayats.
The elections were held on November 1, with polling conducted from 7 am to 5 pm.