Midnight ordeal for four as cab gets stuck in swollen Patiala ki Rao stream
Four men clung to cab’s roof for two hours amid gushing waters before police and firefighters brought them to safety
nikhil.sharma@hindustantimes.com
Four men had a narrow escape after their cab got stuck in the overflowing Patiala Ki Rao stream on the Dadumajra-Togan road following the rain around 2 am on Thursday.
Much to the car occupants’ luck, a police team chanced upon the vehicle trapped in the stream while patrolling the unilluminated area around 2.10 am.
The Punjab registered cab (PB01-A-8037) was partially submerged in the muddy waters and its occupants holding steady on the roof.
The team alerted the Maloya police station, from where inspector Baljeet Singh, ASI Mahinder Singh, along with other cops, rushed to the spot. But sensing the risk of entering the gushing waters, police summoned the Sector 38 fire brigade team.
“We received a call around 2.30 am that four men are stuck in the stream. We immediately sent a leading fireman, along with seven firemen and a driver, with a fire tender. The fire team went deep in the water and rescued the four youths around 4.20 am following a two-hour operation,” one of the rescuers said.
According to police, three men had hired a cab from Sector 38 for Kartarpur in Punjab. While the cab driver was manoeuvring the bridge over the swollen Patiala Ki Rao stream, the vehicle got stuck, stranding all four men.
“The youths were rescued and the vehicle was towed in the morning after the water level went down,” a cop said.
In July 2022, a 22-year-old cab driver and a 26-year-old female passenger were killed after the car was swept away in the seasonal stream in Tanda village. A month later, in August, a couple was swept away in a flash flood in the rivulet on the Tanda-Koror Road in Mohali.
Hallo Majra residents brave waterlogging for 12 hours
Wednesday rain left parts of Hallo Majra waterlogged for 12 hours, putting residents through great deal of inconvenience on Thursday.
A resident, Vikas, said the municipal corporation had made no preparations for rain in the area, causing all lanes and parks to get inundated for hours.
Residents woke up to waterlogged streets, causing hindrance in proceeding to work.
“Several complaints have been made to the local councillor for cleaning of sewer lines. But the civic body is paying no heed. Resultantly, residents suffer every time it rains,” Vikas added.
When contacted, area councillor Gurcharanjeet Singh Kala said, “The streets were waterlogged as mud had blocked sewer lines after the rain. The sewer lines were cleaned on Thursday morning and the water was cleared.”
However, residents said several lanes were still inundated.
