Building collapses, trees, poles down as rainstorm hits Karnal

Three days after a thunderstorm wreaked havoc in Karnal district, another round of heavy rain and high velocity winds on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday left a trail of destruction, adding to the woes of residents, the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN), civic bodies and the Forest Department.

The storm brought down 289 electricity poles and 72 transformers, causing a loss of approximately Rs 74 lakh to the UHBVN. Employees of the UHBVN were seen working through Sunday to restore supply in affected areas.

Earlier a thunderstorm, on May 21, uprooted or damaged as 421 poles and 130 transformers, leading to an estimated loss of around Rs 1.25 crore.

“Our employees have been working to fix the faults as well as replacing damaged poles. They have erected a majority of uprooted poles to restore electricity in most areas,” said Naseeb Singh, Superintending Engineer, UHBVN, Karnal Circle.

The high-speed winds also uprooted numerous trees, obstructing traffic in several areas. The roads were cleared only after hours of effort by the forest and municipal staff. Waterlogging in low-lying areas inconvenienced the residents.

At Sadar Bazar, a dilapidated building's balcony collapsed in the high-velocity wind. A car parked beneath it was crushed under the debris. The car owner, who usually parked his car at another spot, said he had moved his vehicle due to a tent set up there. “I never imagined the balcony would fall. My car is completely destroyed,” he said.

The residents said they had warned the building owner multiple times about the dangerous condition of the structure.

Several trees also fell on roads in the city, halting the vehicular movement. The commuters said that the traffic came to a standstill for hours. The employees of the civic bodies cleared the trees and normal traffic resumed.