TEAM HERALD
bureau@herald-goa.com
MAYEM: Cyclonic winds struck parts of Sal-Bicholim and neighbouring villages of Dodamarg taluka (Maharashtra) across Goa’s border on Tuesday evening, causing extensive destruction and disrupting traffic and power supply in the two places.
The property destroyed or damaged in Sal-Bicholim is yet to be ascertained, as emergency services were working overtime to restore traffic and essential services in the affected areas.
According to reports, the cyclonic winds wreaked havoc in the Tillari rehabilitation colony at Sal-Bicholim as well as some parts of Dodamarg at about 4.30 pm.
At Sal, many trees got uprooted and some houses were damaged, while a few electricity poles had also fallen and power supply was disrupted in the area.
Roads were also blocked by fallen trees, forcing motorists to find alternative routes. Fire tenders from Bicholim were pressed into service as efforts were on to clear the trees which had fallen on the roads and homes.
Sal Sarpanch Ghanashyam Raut rushed to the site to take stock of the situation.
“The local talathi will assess the damages on Wednesday. We will also visit the cyclone-hit areas to ascertain the losses so that necessary compensation can be given to the affected people,” said Raut.
Elsewhere, the neighbouring villages in Dodamarg Taluka (Maharashtra) across Goa’s border also suffered heavy damages due to the cyclonic winds. These affected villages included Sonawal, Palye, Ghotgewadi, Ghotge, Konalkatta, Sateli, Bhedshi, Kudala, Maneri, Sasoli, Zarme, Awade, Zarebambar and Dodamarg city.
Several houses in these villages were damaged by uprooted trees, while electricity poles and trees also fell on the roads cutting off the road network and power supply till late Tuesday night.
Dodamarg Police Inspector B Suryawanshi, Tehsildar Sanjay Jadhav, and officials from the PWD and electricity offices visited the affected areas to take the stock of the situation.
