Rain, gusty winds throw Chandigarh out of gear; roof collapse injures 3 children, trees bring traffic to a halt

Strong winds uprooted several trees across the city, severely affecting traffic and power supply. In Sector 17, a large tree snapped and fell on overhead electricity wires, leading to a power outage in the area. Fortunately, no vehicles were hit.

An onlooker, Harpreet Kaur, said, “The tree narrowly missed parked cars. If it had fallen a few feet away, there could have been major losses.”

In Sector 32, a tree fell on a moving two-wheeler, injuring the rider, while in Sector 35 B and parts of Mohali, trees crashed onto houses and roads, damaging vehicles and causing long traffic snarls. On the Chandigarh–Mohali road near Sectors 39 and 40, multiple trees fell simultaneously, bringing vehicular movement to a near standstill for hours. “Traffic was completely blocked, and ambulances were struggling to pass. It was chaos,” said Sunita Bhalla, a commuter stuck on the road.

The storm also raised concerns over infrastructure safety after a portion of the false ceiling collapsed at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32. No injuries were reported as the area was unoccupied at the time.

Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh swung into action to clear fallen trees and debris.

An MC official said around eight horticulture teams were deployed across the city since morning. “Nearly eight-nine fallen trees and major branches blocking roads have been removed so far to ease traffic movement. The teams are working continuously and more clearance operations are underway,” the official said.