Berhampur: Road commuters heaved a sigh of relief as Kalinga Ghat, a stretch of National Highway 157 in Kandhamal district reopened to traffic from Saturday, after more than a month-and-a-half’s closure following landslides on hilly roads.Kandhamal district administration has also opened Gajalbadi-Daringbadi ghat route for plying of light vehicles and continued to restrict movement of heavy vehicles.Kalinga Ghat and Gajalabadi-Daringbadi Ghat routes, vital communications between two Ganjam and Kandhamal districts, were closed from Sept 23 and Oct 27, respectively, following heavy landslides triggered by the deep depression-related rain and under influence of Cyclone Arnab.Now the Kaling ghat road has been repaired, while the ghat road between Gajalabadi-Daringbadi has been repaired temporarily. Both the routes have been opened for traffic, while restricted for heavy vehicles on Gajalabadi-Daringbadi roués as a precautionary measure, said Kandhamal collector Vedbhusan.Gajalabadi-Daringbadi route would be opened for the heavy vehicles soon, once it was repaired, sources said. Following damage of roads, people had been forced to travel through an alternative route with a 20-km to 30-km extra distance.Despite difficult terrain, construction work of Kalinga Ghat road was undertaken by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) after the disaster. The construction, however, was hit due to frequent rain in the region.Though commuters expressed happiness after re-opening of Kalinga Ghat road, they demanded for a permanent solution of landslide-prone ghat road. “Kalinga Ghat is the main route between two Ganjam and Kandhamal districts. It needs a permanent solution,” said a bus driver. Last year, the road was closed for around month-and-half due to the massive landslides on Sept 16, 2025.“We will prepare a detailed project report for permanent construction and widening of the road. The DPR would be submitted to the NHAI soon, said an engineer (EON)