Rains drown Bengaluru, Gurgaon as people struggle to go about their lives

Gurgaon: Two cities in the country had a very tough battle these last two days with the rains – tech hub Bengaluru in the South and corporate hotspot Gurgaon in the North.

Relentless rain overnight has spewed the worst traffic jams in Bengaluru, famed already for its horror-show roads. Wading through fallen trees and stuck cars, boats were sent out to rescue people stranded in water-logged areas.

Areas still struggling are those around the city’s lakes, roads near Electronic City were also badly hit.

The situation in Gurgaon is no better, so much so that the police have asked people from Delhi to stay away for a while.

Schools have been shut as monster traffic jams continue to crawl through Gurgaon roads. After Thursday’s downpour, more rains this morning meant roads would not clear till late Friday.

The Gurgaon police have also tweeted that National Highway 8 would be blocked in the morning.

Traffic scenes in the city mirror each other – snaking traffic, submerged vehicles, stranded people.

Many motorists abandoned their vehicles and waded through knee-deep water which accumulated on both the carriageways of the Delhi-Jaipur road, including Hero Honda Chowk, bringing traffic to a standstill with the tailback extending up to 15 to 20 kilometres.

The chaos had started yesterday after heavy rains led to waterlogging near Hero Honda Chowk from 4 pm as the main drain overflowed.

The NH-8, which is the main carriageway from Delhi to Jaipur, was choked with hundreds of trucks unable to move and the situation worsened as morning commuters too came on the road.

Gurgaon's central Hero Honda Chowk remained inundated. An underconstruction underpass and flyover near the Chowk led to a diversion at the spot which further slowed the traffic, while the drainage system has failed.

Haryana government called an emergency meeting to discuss the situation as it came under attack from Opposition Congress and Aam Aadmi Party.

"As BJP passes the buck, Gurgaon chokes. Wht an awful ordeal 4commuters esp ambulances tht may have been stuck for hrs!," Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala accused the Maohar Lal Khattar government of ignoring basic infrastructure in Gurgaon.

"This situation has never happened in the Millennium City. We warned the Khattar government after the first rains. They cannot say the Congress was in power.

"Now, we are no longer in power... BJP has an MP, all MLAs and corporations are of BJP. The state and central governments are of BJP. What have you done in the law 24 months?" he asked, adding the BJP government has increased the floor area for buildings without ensuring proper electricity, water, sewage facilities and roads.

The heavy evening downpour on Thursday left commuters stranded -- many without fuel and water -- on their way back home from Gurgaon till well past midnight.

"In the last 17 hours, people have been waiting on the road, they have been sleeping on top of vehicles, some abandoned their vehicles and returned home," Surjewala said, and insisted that party was not poulticing the issue.

Meanwhile, Gurgaon police said it will take sometime to clear the highway.

"District authorities and our team were trying our best," it said.

The traffic jams affected both flyovers and service lanes in Gurgaon as well as Rajeev Chowk, Sohna Road, Signature Tower, Old Gurgaon, Khirki Daula toll plaza and Manesar from Jaipur to Gurgaon side.

The Badshahpur Drain was overflowing on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway which led to the waterlogging.