Waterlogging brings traffic to a halt in Doon, Haridwar

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 2

Incessant rain waterlogged streets and drains of the city for hours causing inconvenience to people here today.

Schoolchildren and office goers were the major sufferers as traffic jams were noticed at important inter-crossings of the city.

Moreover, traffic police personnel were not seen at inter-crossings of the city. Among the worst-affected areas were EC road, Clock Tower, Chakrata Road, Rajpur Road, Subhash Road, Saharanpur Road, Gandhi Road, Dharampur, Araghar etc.

Though the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun has claimed to undertake various measures to prevent the problem of water logging in various parts of Dehradun, their tall claims turn flat after the rain continued in the state for the past two days.

The dumping of garbage in drains, lack of timely cleaning and unplanned urban development are considered to be the major reasons behind the problem of water logging in different colonies of city.

MCD officials lamented that lack of coordination between the MCD, the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority, the Public Works Department and other departments concerned is responsible for unplanned urbanisation which causes various civic woes, including water logging.

Encroachment on roadside drains, blocking of natural drainage channels for rain water by residents and prominent commercial institutions is also responsible for water logging, but the authorities concerned have not been able to address any of these factors effectively so far.

The water-logged inter-state bus terminal (ISBT) has been causing inconvenience to commuters for years, but the authorities concerned have failed to resolve the issue so far.

Haridwar: Life has been thrown out of gear in the pilgrim city due to waterlogging following heavy rain for the past two days. Major traffic snarls were witnessed at important junctions.

Chandracharya square (Ranipur Mod), which is a commercial hub, is compleltly submerged. Bhagat Singh square, the gateway to BHEL and SIDCUL, has virtually turned into a swimming pool. While the roads became waterlogged, trenches and large pits dug up for underground drainage works and left uncovered pose a threat to commuters and pedestrians. The Municipal Corporation had carried out an anti-encroachment drive at some places a couple of days ago to prevent waterlogging. However, the same places are waterlogged.

A number of vehicles got stuck in the water while pedestrians had to wait for hours for the rain to stop. Commuters were forced to take long alternative routes via Jwalapur or through the Tibdi bypass. Additional traffic personnel were deputed at the Bhagat Singh square to ensure smooth traffic movement. The old part of the city near Har-ki-Pauri and Moti Bazaar, Upper Bazaar, Gau Ghat and Tibetan Market are also waterlogged. These areas are thronged by hundreds of pilgrims on a daily basis. However, they presented a deserted look today.

Meanwhile, mudslides were also reported on the Bhoopatwala-Khadkhadi railway track and the Tibdi bypass. Several colonies of suburban Jwalpaur, Ahbab Nagar, Kotaran, Kassaban, Maidaniyan, Shastri Nagar, Khanna Nagar, Model Colony, Vivek Vihar, Gobindpurin and Shiv Lok are waterlogged.

MNA Vipra Trivedi said additional workers had been roped in clear choked drains and nullah lines.