71.5 mm rain in Mohali district throws normal life out of gear

Two men got stuck in the seasonal rivulet at Tanda village near New Chandigarh (Mullanpur Garbidas) due to the strong water currents. Their SUV had got stuck in the rivulet. The village residents rescued both the occupants of the SUV and also took out the SUV from the water with the help of tractors.

Satnam Singh, a resident of Tanda village, said that the villagers had on their own made some arrangements for the safe passage of commuters as there is no bridge on the rivulet where five people have lost their lives in the monsoon season.

Singh said that the SUV had entered the district border from Haryana side but the vehicle was stuck in the seasonal rivulet when the driver tried to cross it.

“Some villagers had noticed it and rescued the occupants. Had it happened at night, anything could have happened to both the occupants of the car. We have seen it in the past,” Singh said.

In Zirakpur, long traffic jams were witnessed on Chandigarh-Ambala highway due to the incessant rain. The water entered houses in many areas and the VIP road was submerged in the rainwater.

Sukhdev Chaudhary, president of the Joint Action Committee, a body working in social sector in Zirakpur, said that illegal encroachments carried out by builders in the town had led to  waterlogging during the rain. He said that they had highlighted the issue many times but the administration did not take any action and also no steps had been taken to resolve the issue.

“We have been saying this for long. We have been asking the MC officials about their preparations before the rain. They keep quiet all the time. They are the ones who are responsible for this mess,” Chaudhary added.

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In Mohali, people complained of frequent power cuts. Harry, a resident of Phase 1, told The Indian Express that there was no power supply in his area for the past 24 hours and despite making several calls to the power department.

Former councillor Ashok Jha said that he received calls from many people who informed him about the water logging in Shahimajra village. He added that no concrete steps were taken by the MC for the passage of the rainwater.

In Kharar, the roads were inundated due to the rain. The main roads — Chandigarh-Kharar and Kharar-Landarn roads — witnessed traffic jams throughout Saturday and Sunday. In some areas, trees also fell due to the rain which added to the woes of the commuters.