Hour-long spell busts Panchkula MC’s claims of rain-readiness

An hour-long spell of rain on Saturday left Panchkula waterlogged at several spots, busting the tall claims of municipal authorities about rain-readiness. The problem was severe at the roundabouts in the city, with roads getting inundated in Sector 19, located on the inter-state border. Motorists were found grappling with waterlogged stretches which hd left their vehicles stuck. 

A pocket in Sector 16 was the worst hit, with other sectors including Sectors 8, 9 and 10 waterlogged due to poor storm water drainage system here. Roundabouts, including those of Sector 7/18, 9/16 and 10/15 were inundated due to blocked road gullies. Several motorists stopped their vehicles on the roadside as waterlogging led to vehicles getting stuck near roundabouts, leading to traffic chaos at the spot.

‘COMPLETE FAILURE’ 

Duni Chand, a resident of Sector 19, said it is a complete failure on the part of the authorities as every year, several areas get waterlogged, with Sector 19 the worst-affected. 

Jagdish Sharma, a resident of Sector 4, said, “The authorities have failed to provide a permanent solution to the annual deluge, and the rainwater harvesting systems are of no use.” 

Residents criticised the civic body for poor maintenance of drainage system.

RP Malhotra, a resident of Sector 8 and president of Federation of Residents’ Association (FORA), Panchkula, said poorly maintained drainage system shows the callousness of the civic body. “The MC wakes up from its slumber to clean the road gullies right at the eleventh hour when it starts pouring misery for the residents,” he said.

WHAT MC SAYS

Municipal corporation (MC) executive officer Jarnail Singh said the drains were already cleaned in the city along with all the road gullies before monsoon.

“There are several low-lying areas where water gets accumulated after heavy spell but it soon gets cleared within half an hour,” Singh said, adding that the civic body recently appointed a consultant to conduct a survey of low-lying areas to assess the waterlogging situation in some sectors.

On Friday, too, parts of Panchkula had plunged into darkness amid rain and winds. The winds led to snapping of power for up to six hours in certain areas. Power cables were damaged in some areas as well. Trees were also uprooted in Sectors 4, 5 and 11. In one such incident at the bus stand in Sector 5, a parked car and some bikes were damaged.