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Continuous rain leads to traffic snarls, hits normal life in Ludhiana
Low-lying areas of the old city and the areas along Buddha Nullah were among the worst hit due to rain with the underpass near the Chand Cinema remaining waterlogged till Saturday afternoon in Ludhiana
Waterlogged and slushy roads after a continuous spell of rain led to traffic snarls, especially in the low-lying areas of Ludhiana with construction works going on in various parts of the city aggravating the situation.
Apart from various key roads, including Ferozepur road, Pakhowal road, National Highway-44, Chandigarh road and Gill road, many other roads of the city were marred by congestion due to waterlogging after the rainfall on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.
Low-lying areas of the old city and the areas along Buddha Nullah were among the worst hit due to rain with the underpass near the Chand Cinema remaining waterlogged till the afternoon.
Satwinder Singh, a resident of Kundanpuri, said due to the ongoing construction work to lay sewage pipes along the Buddha Nullah, the rains have further deteriorated the situation as the sand has further sunk into the roads leading to inconvenience to public.
The ongoing construction works underway in different areas, including Pakhowal road should be completed in time to give residents a respite, he added.
Executive engineer Ekjot Singh said teams of the municipal corporation remained on standby in case of any complaint regarding waterlogging. He said that as the rains were not heavy, no major instance of waterlogging was reported.
Double whammy for residents at Bharat Nagar Chowk
Commuters heading towards the Ferozepur road from the bus stand were a harried lot as the already congested lane remained waterlogged throughout the day. Bus passengers and two-wheeler drivers were among the worst hit as the potholes made passing the intersection difficult.
The blockage also caused traffic jams on different roads leading towards the intersection, including Mall Road, Jagraon bridge and bus stand.
Puddles of rainwater on the potholed portion of the Ferozepur road between Aarti Chowk to Ghumar Mandi hampered the traffic movement for the whole day.
Sunil Kumar, who owns a garage, said before rain, the plumes of construction residue would harass the commuters and now it has been replaced by mud and slush.
Assistant commissioner of police (ACP, traffic 2) Charanjiv Lamba said the instructions were conveyed to the construction authorities to fill the potholes around the intersection and prepare a discharge of water.
He added that police personnel were deployed at the intersections to manage the traffic. People are advised to avoid the Bharat Nagar intersection for the coming two months.
13.2 mmm rain lashes Ludhiana
The city woke up to light rainfall on Saturday morning, bringing in much-needed respite from soaring temperatures. Cloudy skies and chilly winds were also witnessed for rest of the day. According to the report released by the Punjab Agriculture University’s (PAU) climate change and agriculture metrological department, Ludhiana received 13.2 mm rain till 8: 30 am on Saturday.
The maximum temperature on Saturday was recorded 19.8 degree celsius, while the minimum was 15 degrees celsius. Besides the respite influenced by the western disturbances, rain and gusty winds are proving to be troublesome for wheat cultivators as the plantation in some areas has fallen flat.
Winter-sown crops like wheat and mustard that are nearing maturity, already reeled unusual rise in the temperatures during the last month. And now with latest development of weather has led to phenomenon of flattening of the crop that further would impact grain quality and yield.
Previously, ahead of thunderstorm and lightning weather forecasted, PAU issued a precautionary agro-advisory for farmers advising them not to irrigate and spray cops during this period.
