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Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow
The eastern Uttar Pradesh town of Gorakhpur was completely cut off on Friday after waters of Rapti and Ghagra rivers inundated the town.
Traffic remained suspended on both highways leading to Lucknow and Varanasi, while train services too were paralysed.
Most of the trains were either diverted or suspended on account of the inundated railway-tracks. In some places, the flooded Rapti river was stated to be flowing at the bridge level, thereby making it very hazardous for the trains to ply.
"A number of trains have been diverted to other routes, while those coming from Delhi and Bombay were terminated at other stations," said a senior official of the North Eastern Railway.
Water also entered several residential areas in Gorakhpur, due to breaches in flood embankments.
An alert has already been sounded in other neighbouring towns to keep people in readiness to shit to safer areas.
Undertaking an aerial survey of the flood-affected districts -- Gorakhpur, Deoria, Siddharthnagar, Kushinagar and Maharajganj -- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Rajnath Singh directed officials to carry out relief work on a war footing.
Stressing upon the need for a permanent solution to the problem, he told rediff.com, "Considering that floods are a perennial menace in eastern UP, I am going to approach the central government for special assistance for a permanent solution."
While the administration has ordered closure of all educational institutions in the district, Singh has suspended realisation of revenue from the farmers in entire Gorakhpur division, where at least 39 persons have died due to heavy torrential rains and floods over the past few days.
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