Downpour, festive rush choke Mohali

Heavy downpour and festive rush choked the Mohali-Kharar main road for several hours this evening. From the Kharar bus stand to the Dara Studio in Mohali, commuters were stuck in long queues as the rain intensified.

Office-goers returning home in the evening were stranded in traffic till 9 pm amid the downpour and chaos. The traffic police had a tough time managing streams and streams of vehicles.

To make matters worse, a luxury car caught fire suddenly at the flyover near Nijjer Chowk, road users said. Traffic police officials had to clear the vehicles from the wrong side to prevent the situation from snowballing into a major snarl-up.

Amandeep Singh, an Aerociity resident, said, “The Airport Road was chock-a-block since 5.30 pm, while the situation at the Kharar-Landran road was no better.”

Road users said at many places, vehicles broke down in the middle of the road as waterlogging made it impossible to commute.

In Zirakpur, Patiala Chowk area remained waterlogged till 9 pm. Vehicles also moved at a snail pace on a clogged VIP Road, while the main market in Dera Bassi underneath the flyover too witnessed chaotic traffic in the evening.

Power woes

Scores of irate Kharar residents, meanwhile, reached the Kharar Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) office at 11 pm after their patience gave in due to unending power cut on Friday evening.

PSPCL officials attributed the long power cuts to a grid failure, but angry youths sat on a protest outside the office. It was only after the power being restored around 1 am that the youths returned home.