2 teens drown in rain gutter in Saketri, rain wreaks havoc in other parts

As per information, six children from Shastri Nagar, Manimajra, had gone to take a dip in the water body around 2.30pm. One of them ventured into the deep waters and started drowning, following which the other rushed to save him but he too drowned.

Two teenagers were washed away in a gutter near Mahadevpur Colony, Saketri village, in Panchkula, on Wednesday evening.

A potholed road in Zirakpur on Wednesday. (SANT ARORA/HT)

The deceased were aged 16 and 17 and residents of Manimajra, Chandigarh.

As per information, six children from Shastri Nagar, Manimajra, had gone to take a dip in the water body around 2.30pm. One of them ventured into the deep waters and started drowning, following which the other rushed to save him but he too drowned.

The other four boys informed the locals, who informed the police. Later, a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) also rushed to the spot and pulled the bodies out.

The bodies were taken to the Civil Hospital in Sector-6, Panchkula, for post-mortem.

This is the second such death in the fortnight. On June 25, a 26-year-old man was washed away in the swollen Ghaggar river. A 61-year-old woman had a narrow escape amid flash floods on the banks of Ghaggar after heavy rain in the upper reaches.

Kharar, Zirakpur drown after four hours of rain

Mohali Just four hours of rain left the satellite towns of Kharar and Zirakpur in a state of complete deluge. The main roads and streets were left in slush, and commuters, especially pedestrians and two-wheeler riders, had a harrowing time as they slipped and fell while trying to reach their destinations. The stormwater sewerage lines installed alongside the national highway on Landran Road and the flyover in Kharar remained flooded. The water even entered the tehsil compound of Kharar.

Jagjit Singh, a resident of Kharar, said that while the town has witnessed massive urbanisation, no attention has been paid to laying an effective drainage and rainwater harvesting system. “The town badly needs an effective storm sewerage system to tackle the problem of waterlogging. Each year, residents living in the area alongside the highway and internal area, including Desu Majra, Chajju Majra, Mundi Kharar, Shivalik City, and the adjoining area, face a massive problem of waterlogging, but nothing concrete has been done so far,” he said.

While cabinet minister Anmol Gagan Mann was not available for comments, earlier during a meeting conducted with civic body officials on June 3, she had assured the residents that they would not face a waterlogging issue as adequate arrangements had been made for stormwater drainage in Kharar city.

Dolly Chopra, who lives in an apartment in Zirakpur, regrets her decision of moving there. “Each time it rains, the roads in Zirakpur get flooded. Adding to the miseries of commuters is the fact that the roads are filled with potholes.”

Executive officer (EO), Zirakpur, Ravneet Singh, said that desilting of sewerage lines is being carried out. Four super suction machines have been hired on a contract basis to clear the choked lanes.

“The stormwater pipeline was connected with the sewerage pipeline, which was choking the sewer line and causing waterlogging. The snag has been fixed, and the work is in progress to ensure that rainwater drains into Sukhna Choe,” said Raveent Singh.

With Mohit Khanna in Mohali.