Chandigarh's northern sectors afloat after 1-hr downpour

Several sectors in the northern part of the city witnessed a flood-like situation during heavy rain that continued for about an hour in the afternoon. There was chaos on roads with commuters remaining stranded in traffic jams on severely waterlogged stretches for hours.

The India Meteorological Department observatory at DAV School in Sector 7 recorded 35-mm rainfall.

Vehicles parked in the majority of the parking areas in markets as well as administrative premises, including the one near the Punjab and Haryana High Court, were seen submerged after the heavy rain.

The rainwater also entered shops situated on the Old Ropar Road in Manimajra. Ruing the losses, traders said the drainage pipes in the area remain choked and result in the water accumulating on the roads and entering the shops.

Traffic chaos on key roads, junctions

Severe waterlogging was seen in Sectors 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 and various roads and roundabouts of the city where the commuters faced problems. The traffic moved bumper to bumper at most of the roundabouts as vehicles and the pedestrians struggled to navigate through the flooded roads.

Surinder Kumar, a resident, said it took him half-an-hour to reach the Tribune Chowk from the Sector-34 roundabout.

The Madhya Marg witnesses the worst jam after water accumulated at key intersections, including the Matka Chowk, the Sector 17-18-9-8 light point and Transport Chowk, causing delays of up to an hour during the peak commuting hours. Several commuters were also seen pushing stalled vehicles out of inundated stretches.

Exiting the city towards New Chandigarh via PGI and Panjab University also proved a challenge, as traffic remained paralysed within and around the campuses.

“The inner-road near Sector 9 was completely flooded. My car stopped twice and I had to be pushed out by passers-by,” said a PU student from English Department. Another commuter, Nikita, who was returning from Sector 9 added, “It took me nearly an hour to cross just 3 km. The situation gets worse every monsoon.”

Raj Kumar, a resident of Maloya village, said water logging has caused a lot of problems in the area, slamming the Municipal Corporation for ill-preparedness.

Crores were spent on cleaning road gullies but the problem of the waterlogging persists, with low-lying areas of the city bearing the brunt.