Citing heavy rain, Chandigarh lawyers urge judges not to pass adverse orders if they fail to appear in court

Sandeep Gujjar, Vice-President, DBA, Chandigarh, said, “Flooded roads had severely hampered vehicle movement, making it unsafe and impractical for lawyers to attend proceedings. Thus, a request has been made by the DBA to the judicial officers not to pass any adverse orders.”

The Union Territory administration opened two of the three floodgates of the Sukhna lake after its water level crossed the danger mark of 1,163 feet following continuous overnight rain. One gate was opened at 7.30 am and the second at 9 am on Monday, marking the eighth such instance this monsoon.

Officials said excess water was being released into the Ghaggar river through the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream, with neighbouring district administrations duly alerted. The engineering department has deployed staff for round-the-clock action and set up CCTV monitoring and a control room for coordination. Last year, floodgates were opened four times, compared to six in 2022.

The heavy release of water from the Sukhna lake floodgates led to the closure of small bridges over Sukhna Choe at Sector 26 and in Industrial Area in Phase 1.

Officials of the Chandigarh municipal corporation said the decision was taken as a precautionary measure owing to the strong water flow in the seasonal stream.

Waterlogging in several parts of the city caused major traffic snarls, with long queues of vehicles reported on Madhya Marg and near Hallo Majra Lights on the Zirakpur-Tribune Chowk stretch, where vehicles crawled at a snail’s pace.