Indian railways and roads damaged by floods

Date: 7/10/2009

Road and rail transport facilities in central southern India have been damaged by heavy rain in the region.

Floods have affected a total of six states in the country, including Andhra, Karnataka and Goa.

Tens of thousands of people in Orissa have been displaced by the heavy rain, which has also affected civic infrastructure and electricity.

According to charity Relief Web, flooding in the Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh region has caused a million people to be displaced, leading to "snapped transportation and communication links".

Helicopters have been sent to the region to deliver supplies to villages that have been cut off from the outside world.

The intense weather has left 240 people dead in the Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh regions and the flooding was made worse after authorities took the decision to release water from swollen dams.

Transport in India is overseen by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, which is responsible for the development of roads, taxation of vehicles and the analysis of safety statistics.