Water logging and congestion reported from key areas in Gurugram

Commuters on Friday battled heavily waterlogged roads, and as the underpasses were also inundated, traffic movement was hit throughout the day. Rajiv Chowk underpass was shut to traffic as it was completely flooded

Two days of heavy rain have left Gurugram under water and gridlocked, with the city receiving 29mm of rain between 8.30am and 5.30pm on Friday.

A car stuck on a waterlogged road in heavy rain on NH-48 in Narsinghpur village, Gurugram, on Friday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), Chandigarh, the city has been getting rain since late Wednesday night, and it has forecast moderate to heavy rainfall on Saturday and Sunday as well.

Commuters on Friday battled heavily waterlogged roads, and as the underpasses were also inundated, traffic movement was hit throughout the day. Rajiv Chowk underpass was shut to traffic as it was completely flooded.

Police said they deployed several teams at Iffco Chowk, Medanta underpass, near Rajiv Chowk, Signature Tower underpass, and Hero Honda Chowk underpass for smoother traffic movement. Police, officers were monitoring traffic at these key spots to help commuters and prevent traffic congestion.

Meanwhile, major traffic snarls were reported from the Narsinghpur stretch, Signature Towers area, and Basai Chowk. However, according to Virender Singh Sangwan, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), Gurugram, the traffic situation across the city was better on Friday compared to Thursday. “More than 3,000 police personnel were deployed at all key points across the city. We used motors to pump water and coordinated with civic agencies to ensure smooth passage for commuters. Our PCR vans and towaway vehicles were also stationed at major intersections which removed more than 10 vehicles that broke down,” he said, adding no major congestion was reported throughout the day. “Our teams monitored several key points. Our teams were also deployed on stretches with potholes to create small diversions so that commuters could cross safely,” he said.

At least 16 teams of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority and the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram were also deployed across the city with the necessary machinery for counter-water logging measures, officials said.

GMDA officials said that they are keeping a real-time watch on the situation and their teams have been asked to immediately respond to any exigency. “Men and machinery have been deployed wherever there is a need to clear water from roads. We managed to clear Narsinghpur, Subhash Chowk and other areas on Friday morning. We are also keeping a close watch to prevent water logging,” a GMDA spokesperson said.

Water logging affected the traffic situation in many areas but things were largely under control, officials said. Congestion was reported from Sohna Road, Mehrauli-Gurgaon (MG) Road, Rajiv Chowk, Hero Honda Chowk, CH Bakhtawar Singh Road, Jharsa Chowk, Bakhtawar Chowk.

Traffic on the main carriageways of the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, however, largely remained unaffected, barring the Narsinghpur-Khandsa stretch, opposite Badshahpur drain, which was heavily inundated with rainwater. The service lanes towards Manesar were heavily inundated and commuters had to rely on the main carriageway, traffic officials said.

Pedestrians could be seen wading their way through knee-deep water on several roads. Two-wheeler riders and cyclists were unable to spot potholes and several of them lost their balance and fell into the murky water on Golf Course Extension Road, Sector 69, Sector 5, Basai Road and Narsinghpur. Rainwater also entered low-lying houses in several sectors, including DLF phases 1 and 3, and Suncity Township on Friday morning.

Meanwhile, a government advisory asking companies to get their employees to work from home helped keep some vehicles off the roads.

Dhiraj Sareen, a resident of Sector 71, said that it hardly took him 30 minutes to reach home from Sector 37, compared to other days when it takes at least an hour.

“There was hardly any traffic on the stretch as most of the companies asked employees to work from home,” he said.

Some private schools, meanwhile, remained open on Friday due to the ongoing half-yearly exams despite the government advisory asking all private schools and colleges in the district to shut. “Buses ferrying our children reached on time, though, because there was less traffic on the roads,” said Sumit Kumar, a resident of Sector 56.

A 45-year-old man was electrocuted to death when his scooter fell into a pit near an electric pole on Pataudi Road on Thursday night. The deceased has been identified as Swami Chopra, a resident of Sector-37D who worked in a private company in Manesar. Chopra was driving on Pataudi Road at 8.30pm when the road was inundated with rainwater. Passersby rushed him to a hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival, police said.