Cyclone 'Fani': SCR suffers loss of Rs 2.98 crore

The South Central Railway (SCR) here has incurred a revenue loss of about Rs 2.98 crore due to severe cyclonic storm 'Fani' that hit Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and other coastal states last week.

"South Central Railway incurred a revenue loss of Rs 2,97,92,581 due to severe cyclonic storm 'Fani'," the SCR said in a release. A total of 137 trains have been affected during the period, it said. Several trains had to be partially cancelled, cancelled or diverted during the period to ensure safety of passengers and train operations.

As many as 120 trains had been fully cancelled and 40,390 passengers were given full refund of the fare which amounted Rs 2.93 crore, it added. The SCR swung into action immediately after 'Fani' receded. It has made arrangements to run three special trains for the convenience of passengers stranded at important stations.

SCR ran three special trains between Secunderabad-Bhubaneswar, Vijayawada-Howrah and Secunderabad-Howrah on May 4 and 5 respectively. Noting that around 3,043 stranded passengers were able to travel to their destinations, the release said SCR has earned Rs 20.90 lakh by running special trains.

Cyclone 'Fani' made landfall near Puri in Odisha on May 3, affecting more than 1.5 crore people in 14 districts destroying basic infrastructure like power, drinking water and telecommunication. At least 41 people were killed in the calamity that damaged 5.08 lakh houses.