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MC claims exposed after heavy rain causes waterlogging & traffic snarls in Jalandhar
Deputy commissioner of Jalandhar Himanshu Aggarwal accompanied by civic body commissioner Gautam Jain visited the water logged areas of the city amid rains and ordered officials to dispose rainwater as early as possible
Heavy rainfall exposed the crumbling infrastructure and ill-preparedness of the Jalandhar municipal corporation (MC) and the district administration to tackle waterlogging and traffic disruption in the city on Tuesday.
After the rainfall, waterlogging was reported in most parts of the city and the roads were inundated wiping the claims of MC officials that lakhs was spent on cleaning the drains and sewers in the city.
According to sources, local residents were left hassled and stranded in traffic as the civic authorities were unable to control the situation. “The markets and the residential areas were under two to three feet water. Besides, the low-lying areas, water entered the houses in residential colonies situated in the outer areas also,” said a source.
Ravinder Singh, who owns a musical instrument shop on railway road, said: “Waterlogging is a serious issue as every time it rains, knee-deep water accumulates in the area. Our businesses is affected during heavy rains as the traders have no option than to shut their shops because of waterlogging.”
Sandeep Singh, a local resident, said heavy rainfall brings misery for the residents as they have to make prior arrangements to stop accumulation of rainwater from entering their residence. “People in the Bashirpur area have been waiting for sewerage and drainage lines for the past three decades but to no avail. Even a short spell of rain inundates roads in our area and it takes hours for the water to recede,” he added.
Deputy commissioner of Jalandhar Himanshu Aggarwal accompanied by civic body commissioner Gautam Jain visited the water logged areas of the city amid rains and ordered officials to dispose rainwater as early as possible.
“The civic body authorities have been directed to come up with a blue print to prevent waterlogging so that local residents do not have to suffer. I will flag up this issue with the state government and ensure that no stone is left unturned to come up with a permanent solution to tackle waterlogging,” Aggarwal said.
