Chandigarh residents at receiving end of civic apathy

After the early morning rain on Saturday, waterlogged roads were a common sight across the city. The civic body had claimed that all road gullies in the city would be cleaned before the monsoon to ensure there was no waterlogging. The first monsoon showers, however, laid bare the ground reality.

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Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Zirakpur, said it took him half an hour to cross the Tribune Chowk by car as traffic moved at a snail’s pace.

Vehicles were seen stranded at the Sector 34 roundabout. Akhil Kumar, a resident of Sector 35, said it was not the first time that rain had resulted in traffic jams in the area.

Every year, the civic body faces the challenge of keeping the city roads from being flooded in the monsoon. Despite claims of full preparedness, waterlogging was witnessed in the low-lying areas, including underbridges at Sector 15 and the Industrial Area.

Other parts of the city where roads were waterlogged included the fruit and vegetable market in Sector 26, Sectors 23, 24, 25, 32, 43 and Sadar Bazar in Sector 19.

Harish Kumar, a resident of Daria village, said the roads were inundated in to time after the showers.