Guntur: Cyclone-battered coastal Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, is limping back to normality as essential services like power supply is restored.
Roads in the district are cleared of the obstructions, train tracks are desilted, and business, trade and commerce have resumed their activity.
The dreaded cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal crossed the coast near Baptla town in Guntur district, but mercifully, it did not cause the feared scale of havoc.
According to Agriculture Department, horticulture crops such as mango, banana, vegetables and betel leaves in about 1,600 acres bore the brunt of the gusty gales. Initial operations for the principal crops paddy, cotton and chillies have not yet commenced.
Some 300 km roads, especially tarred ones, have suffered damage. Thatched and tin-roofed dwellings were damaged by the winds. The exact loss is being assessed by the district administration.
About 125 electricity poles were either uprooted or twisted and water cascaded into 20 electricity sub-stations.
The cyclone relieved people of Guntur from excruciating summer heat. Post-cyclone soothing weather is expected to continue for four days when monsoon is expected to arrive. The cyclone has heralded the end of gruesome summer.