Heavy rain throws life out of gear in Jalandhar

The continuous rainfall for nearly seven hours today brought life to a standstill across the city, flooding major roads and creating severe traffic disruptions. The downpour, which began early in the morning, submerged several key intersections and residential areas, leaving commuters struggling to navigate waterlogged streets.

The situation was reminiscent of conditions just four days ago when a three-hour spell of rain had already exposed the city's fragile drainage infrastructure. Today’s extended showers only worsened the scenario, amplifying concerns about the city’s preparedness for monsoon rain.

Prominent areas, including Lajpat Nagar road leading to Guru Nanak Mission Chowk, Damoria Pull, Chugitti Chowk, near Guru Nanak Pura railway crossing, and Workshop Chowk, were inundated, with water reported in several stretches. Motorists and pedestrians alike found it difficult to wade through flooded roads, while traffic moved at a snail's pace throughout the day.

Adding to the chaos were pothole-ridden roads, which not only slowed down vehicles, but also posed safety hazards, especially for two-wheelers.

Local residents and commuters have expressed frustration over the lack of effective drainage and timely maintenance. As the city is bracing for more rainfall in the coming days, raising fears of repeated flooding.

--------------------

Life crippled in Phagwara

Heavy rain on Sunday plunged Phagwara into chaos, exposing again the fragility of its civic infrastructure and puncturing municipal claims of monsoon preparedness.

The downpour, the second major spell of the season, submerged roads, choked drains and brought traffic to a standstill, turning the city’s residential and commercial neighbourhoods into waterlogged islands. From Prempura and Urban Estate to Onkar Nagar, Hargobind Nagar, Khaira Road and Palahai Road, rainwater entered homes and shops, forcing residents to wade through knee-deep water. Even key public facilities failed the test. The Civil Hospital premises resembled a lake, paralysing access to medical care, on major roads, vehicles crawled for hours as long queues formed in what became an ordeal for commuters.

For residents, the anger was not simply about the disruption but the familiarity of it all. “Even a short spell of rain drowns our streets. This is mismanagement, not nature’s fury,” said Vishwamitter, a long-time campaigner for better drainage, echoing the frustration of citizens who accused the Municipal Corporation of making routine pre-monsoon assurances without meaningful execution. The corporation dispatched emergency teams to clear choked drains and initiated inspections led by Mayor Ram Pal Uppal, SDO Pardeep Chottani and Commissioner Dr Akshita Gupta, who ordered de-silting of sewer lines and promised long-term measures, but the reactive timing of these steps only deepened scepticism about whether preventive planning was anything more than rhetoric.

With the Meteorological Department forecasting further rainfall in the coming days, residents are bracing for repeat episodes, convinced that while storm water may eventually subside, the flood of public anger over chronic neglect and opaque civic spending will not ebb anytime soon.