Amid heavy rain, buildings collapse in Majith Mandi, Ajnala; 3 injured

Continuous rainfall for the last three days has thrown life out of gear in Amritsar and its adjoining areas. Several parts of the city were waterlogged, with major roads turning into a virtual pond or facing a flood-like situation. Pedestrians and commuters faced great difficulty in wading through submerged streets.

Officials of the municipal corporation said all sewerage disposal plants are working round the clock to pump out accumulated water into open drains. However, heavy downpour has outpaced the city’s drainage capacity. Reports of vehicle breakdowns and overturned e-rickshaws were also received from different areas.

Pawan Kumar, a resident of Batala Road, said an e-rickshaw overturned on a waterlogged road this morning, leaving some of the passengers with minor injuries.

The flooding also hit school-going children hard. Though the district administration had declared a holiday only in Riya and Ajnala blocks, several students across the city were unable to reach schools due to heavy rain and waterlogged streets. Office-goers and daily commuters, too, struggled to wade through knee-deep water in many areas. Residents have urged the authorities to take immediate measures to improve drainage and provide relief from the waterlogging problem as rainfall is expected to continue.

With heavy rainfall continuing to lash the city for the past two-three days, the danger to old structures has increased. On Tuesday morning, a three-storey building suddenly crumbled near Wahiya Wala Bazaar in the Majith Mandi area. Fortunately, no loss of life or injury was reported in the incident. According to residents, the building had been lying vacant for several years and no one was living in it. Around 4.30 am, locals were jolted awake by a loud crashing sound. Rushing out of their homes, they saw the structure reduced to rubble.

On being informed, the police reached the spot and cordoned off the area. A team of the MC officials later arrived to inspect the site and began clearing the debris. Additional Divisional Fire Officer (ADFO) Dilbagh Singh confirmed that the building was in a dilapidated state and no one had been living in it. “The structure was extremely old and weak. Luckily, since nobody was residing in it, no casualties occurred,” said one of the residents present at the site.

The incident has triggered fear among people of the locality, who are now worried about other old and weakened buildings in the area. Locals pointed out that several similar structures across the city are in bad shape and could collapse anytime, especially during heavy rain.

Meanwhile, the roof of a house collapsed at Saran village in Ajnala area early this morning. Three family members were injured in the incident. A wall collapsed on the transformer of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited in the walled city area, leading to power disruption in the area. Several trees were seen uprooted in various areas of the city. A tree fell on a car, damaging its windowpanes.