3-hour rain floods Patiala, exposes administration claims

Patiala, July 6

Three-hour rain laid bare the tall claims of the development authority, administration and the municipal corporation with several areas, including Tripuri, Urban Estate, Mall Road and Anand Nagar, witnessing severe waterlogging. According to the Meteorological Department, the city witnessed 56 mm rainfall in three hours.

Waterlogging in the busy markets of the walled city disrupted daily life, causing inconvenience to residents and shopkeepers. Former mayor Sanjeev Sharma Bittu lambasted the MC authorities for their failure to control the menace.

“The administration’s inaction and lack of preparedness have once again been exposed,” said Bittu, highlighting the urgent need for effective drainage solutions.

In Tripuri, the bustling markets remained closed for most of the day due to waterlogging. Similarly, the newly constructed roads of Phoolkian Enclave were submerged.

The onset of monsoon was causing anxiety among the residents of Urban Estate. Their nightmare became a reality today as the majority of the roads in the locality were again submerged in rainwater. With the level in the Ghaggar river and the city’s two main drains, Badi Nadi and Chhoti Nadi, continuing to rise due to silt, memories of last year’s devastating floods haunted the local residents.

The residents are taking preventive measures expecting a repeat flooding they witnessed the previous year. Many of them have built three-foot-high walls in front of their houses. Other residents are also moving their furniture to safer places and reinforcing their homes against potential flooding.

On July 11 last year, floods wreaked a havoc across Patiala district, causing a huge loss of property.