Storm dampens Basant Panchami celebrations: Trees, power poles uprooted, cars damaged

A newly purchased car parked outside house no. 2872 was severely damaged after an electricity pole fell on it. With three power poles collapsing, traffic came to a standstill on several roads. Areas from house no. 2960 up to line 29, along with multiple adjoining lanes, were badly affected.

Professor Balwinder Singh, who lives at house no. 2870 (Phase 7), said, “A few days ago, we had formally informed the Municipal Corporation’s pruning team that this tree had become dangerous and hollow from inside, but no one paid heed. Today, my son was about to go to the market and narrowly escaped being trapped under this tree.”

He added that no official response was seen until 3–4 pm, following which complaints were made over the phone to Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal and Mayor Amarjit Singh ‘Jeeti’ Sidhu.

“Only after that did the electricity staff and tree-cutting teams arrive, and some work finally started,” he said.

A similar incident was reported on the main road of Sector 62 (Phase 8), leading from YPS to Sohana, where a large fallen tree disrupted traffic. Several trees also collapsed near the Fire Brigade office in Sector 57 (Phase 1) and close to the police station.

In another incident, a heavy tree fell on a house near the canal at house no. 1660, Sector 61 (Phase 7). Fortunately, the homeowners escaped unhurt. At HL-429, an old door was blown away by strong winds and got entangled in overhead power lines, posing a serious risk of a major accident.

Sector 61 (Phase 7) councillor Anuradha Anand said, “The electricity department was called multiple times. They answered once, after which no contact could be established. Although power supply was restored in some parts of Mohali after 5 pm, electricity is still not restored in areas where poles collapsed.”

According to official information, after another tree fell due to the storm, the electricity department shut down power across the city as a safety measure. Besides Phase 7 and Phase 8, power outages were reported in sectors 70, 71, 79, the Industrial Area, and several other localities.

Former councillor Parmjit Singh Kahlon criticised the civic administration, stating, “Due to heavy rain and strong winds at night, tree roots loosened, causing massive trees to fall. Mohali has a high-end tree-cutting machine worth crores of rupees, but it has never been seen in operation. It has turned into nothing more than a white elephant. Whenever the Municipal Corporation is asked to cut trees, small machines are sent, which are ineffective for tall trees. The common people end up paying the price of this negligence. Thankfully, there was no loss of life, otherwise a major tragedy could have occurred.”

Councillor Jaspreet Singh Gill added, “Electricity department officials are not answering calls. Both residents and councillors are distressed. People have been calling since morning, but no one is informing where work is underway. We personally toured all phases in our vehicles, but work was not visible anywhere.”

In Sector 71, a tree also fell directly onto a parked car in the HIG housing area. Social worker Pradeep Soni, a local resident, said that trees have grown excessively tall and urgently need pruning and trimming.

Along with the power crisis, residents have now begun to fear a shortage of water as well. People say that if electricity supply is not restored for a prolonged period, the situation could worsen further as drinking water motors and booster pumps may stop functioning, leading to serious inconvenience for the general public.

Electricity department’s response

In this regard, PSPCL executive engineer Amandeep Singh told The Indian Express, “Due to the strong winds that prevailed today, electricity poles have collapsed at several locations, including Sector 54 (Phase 3A and Phase 4), Sector 60 C, Sector 61, Sector 71, Sector 64, the Mullanpur area, New Chandigarh, Zirakpur, Gulmohar City, Jandpur, Fatehullapur, Desu Majra, and the Industrial Area, Sector 74 (Phases 8A and 8B). In many places, trees have fallen onto power lines, causing extensive damage. Our patrolling teams are surveying the entire city to assess where poles have fallen and to evaluate the overall extent of the damage.”

He added that departmental teams are working round the clock. “At locations where main electricity poles have collapsed, repairs will take time as new poles need to be installed. However, in areas where tree branches have fallen on internal lines and the poles have not been damaged, our teams are immediately repairing the snapped wires. Simultaneously, efforts are underway to restore power supply. We are making every effort to complete maximum repair work within the next 24 hours and restore electricity supply at the earliest.”

Traffic disrupted due to fallen trees
Traffic movement across Mohali was badly affected as trees and large branches fell on roads at multiple locations. Storm winds blowing at speeds of 50–60 km per hour uprooted several trees. Fallen trunks and branches were visible across the city, while municipal workers were seen clearing roads by cutting and removing debris.

Weather department issues fresh alert
The Punjab State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) and the Meteorological Department have once again issued an alert on mobile phones. According to the alert, “Over the next 24 hours, Mohali and adjoining areas may witness thunderstorms with lightning, hailstorms at some places, strong winds blowing at 50–60 km per hour, and heavy rainfall.”

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