Heavy rains lash Guj; train, vehicular traffic disrupted

Heavy rains lashed many parts of Gujarat on Thursday, disrupting rail and vehicular traffic at several places.

Eight trains, majority of running between Delhi and Mumbai, were stuck up at various locations in Gujarat as the tracks at Jekot railway station near Dahod district were submerged in water after incessant rains, railway officials said.

"Four local trains have been cancelled. Eight trains have been held up at various locations as the tracks at Jekot station have been submerged," Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Vadodara, Udai Shankar Jha said.

The trains held up in Gujarat since morning due to heavy rains are 19019-Bandra Dehradun, 19037 Bandra-Gorakhpur, 12283 Ernakulam-Nizamuddin, 12980 Jaipur-Bandra, 19024 Ferozpur-Mumbai, 12472 Jammutawi-Bandra, 12449 Madgam-Nizamuddin and 12926 Amritsar-Bandra.

The heavy downpour since morning led to disruption of vehicular traffic in many districts. Houses in villages were inundated and people had to be shifted to safer places.

"The Dahod-Limkheda highway had to be closed in morning due to heavy rains, impacting vehicular traffic, however it was opened later on," officials said.

Due to overflow from a local dam, 50 houses in two villages-Nimivarod and Tandi-of Zhalod taluka in Dahod were inundated and people had to be evacuated to safer places,  they said.

Six people were struck by lightning in Panchmahal district. They were taken to Dahod for treatment, state officials said.

In wake of heavy downpour the state administration has also put on alert 180 villages in Panchmahal and Vadodara districts.