Rain causes waterlogging, traffic chaos in Zirakpur

Tribune News Service

Zirakpur, March 2

Vehicles continued to crawl at a snail’s pace in and around Zirakpur after the downpour in the morning, which led to long traffic snarlups at the Chandigarh-Ambala national highway and the Zirakpur-Panchkula national highway till late in the evening on Saturday. Commuters were stuck in long queues from the Chandigarh border to the Ghaggar Bridge and Paras Downtown to Panchkula. On both ends of the Zirakpur flyover, vehicle drivers were stranded. Under the flyover, there was a chock-a-block situation at the Patiala chowk near the Patiala road.

For most of the day, the road near the Patiala Chowk remained submerged in stagnant rainwater, and the area witnessed massive traffic jams throughout the day. The rush of Delhi-bound traffic from Chandigarh and Punjab added to the commuters’ woes. Two-wheeler riders and pedestrians suffered a lot in the slushy conditions caused by the stagnant rainwater on the roads and pavements.

CR Sharma, a Shivalik Vihar resident, said, “Waterlogging led to snarl-ups at the chowk, which threw traffic out of gear. The drainage system near the Patiala chowk was overhauled with expenditures in lakhs last year. However, as we could see, it did not do much for the area this time around either.”

The MC officials thought that once the drainage system was overhauled, it would solve the problem of waterlogging in the area, but the situation has largely remained the same year after year.

KR Sharma, a Dhakoli resident, said, “The drainage work in Dhakoli has been lingering for almost a year now. Merely two to three labourers work here on a regular basis to keep up a facade of construction. The construction of the Dhakoli railway crossing is also pending.”

Residents said Dhakoli is in dire need of a railway underbridge at the crossing to resolve the traffic bottlenecks at the Kalka-Ambala T-point in Zirakpur.

Residents of Bhankharpur said that today, a few industrial houses took advantage of the rain to drain out waste water from their units in the open, adding that this was done to clear the debris in their storage tanks.

Residents at VIP Road rued that the rainwater on the road from Penta Homes to South City is such that fish could be reared in it and paddy could be transplanted in it too. They said that a lot of manholes on the road are open, inviting an accident.

Dera Bassi witnessed a long traffic jam too, as one side of the Chandigarh-Ambala highway from Mc Donald’s Chowk to the Dera Bassi flyover remained choked from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm today.

About The Author

Tribune News Service

The Tribune News Service brings you the latest news, analysis and insights from the region, India and around the world. Follow the Tribune News Service for a wide-ranging coverage of events as they unfold, with perspective and clarity.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.

#Ambala #Panchkula #Zirakpur