Nine years of development claim falls flat with one rain

our correspondent

PHAGWARA, AUGUST 27

Incessant rain for a few hours today exposed the preparedness of the Phagwara Municipal Corporation. People living in the low-lying areas were the worst hit by the rain.

Rainwater entered their houses and got accumulated on roads. Residents of several low-lying localities, including the posh locality of Hargobind Nagar, had a tough time as they had to wade through knee-deep water. Similarly, residents of several other colonies complained of choking drains and waterlogging.

“All promises of the authorities have fallen flat even after claims of spending a huge amount on the drainage system,” said Former Minister Joginder Singh Maan, who alleged that the authorities failed to take concrete action to check the accumulation of water in the town.

Meanwhile, the civic body pressed its machinery and men into service to check the problem of waterlogging. Phagwara MLA Som Prakash and Mayor Arun Khosla visited several low-lying areas of the town.

Several villages in the town experienced hailstorm today. A tree planted at the official residence of ADC Phagwara, Iqbal Singh Sandhu, was seen broken into two parts due to lightening. Many low-lying areas were left water-logged and the downpour also caused disruptions and breakdowns in the power system in the town for several hours.