Ramkrishan Upadhyay
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 24
Incessant rain over three days in the catchment area today forced officials of the UT Engineering Department to open the flood gates of Sukhna Lake after the water level crossed the danger mark of 1,163 ft. Two gates were opened after a gap of 10 years. Before this, it was in 2008 that the flood gates of the lake were opened after the water level crossed the danger mark.
The gates remained open for around six hours. Mukesh Anand, Special Secretary of the Engineering Department, said the gates were opened around 12.45 pm and closed at 6.32 pm after the water level normalised.
Though officials of the neighbouring towns of Punjab and Haryana were informed in advance before opening the gates, it created panic in areas close to the Sukhna choe, which carried the water to the Ghaggar in Panchkula.
The traffic police issued an advisory asking people to avoid the route from Sector 26 to Kishangarh. The traffic was also stopped on the bridge connecting Kishangarh with Sector 26. A culvert near Makhan Majra was submerged, which halted traffic. Residents of Bapu Dham Colony panicked after the water level of the choe touched the bridge in the area. Traffic between Sector 26 and IT Park was suspended till the evening.
Prayers offered before opening gates
Labourers engaged by the Engineering Department offered prayers and conducted a small religious ceremony before opening the gates. They also distributed sweets on the occasion. Initially the gates were opened three inches and later, to increase the flow, these were opened 11 inches.
Home Secretary reviews situation
Home Secretary Arun Kumar Gupta held a meeting with senior officers of the Administration, which was attended by the Secretary, Education, the SSP, Chandigarh, the SSP, Security & Traffic, the Director, Public Relations, the Chief Engineer, UT, and the Chief Engineer, MC, to assess the situation in view of the heavy rain.
The Engineering Department was given directions to tackle the problem of potholes, waterlogging and uprooted trees. The police were instructed to deploy more personnel to regulate traffic. The disaster management team was also asked to remain on vigil and monitor the situation constantly.