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Rains create chaos in city

By Staff reporter

GUWAHATI, Oct 21 � It took merely two hours of a downpour to flatten the tall claims made by Government authorities about improving the drainage network of Guwahati. Huge swathes of the city were inundated by the rains this evening causing misery to scores of people.

A number of neighbourhoods went under water, people were stranded, and power went off in various parts of the city adding to the woes of residents. Strong winds accompanying the rains caused damage to trees and hoardings in some areas.

Most people were caught unaware by the untimely rains which arrived at around four in the afternoon after a day of bright sunshine. Nearing office closure, many were returning home when the showers started. Starting as a drizzle it soon gained intensity, and accompanied by blustery winds resulted in poor visibility and a drop in temperature.

Soon after, water logging started in all the arterial routes of the city. Among the worst hit was the GNB Road, and RG Baruah Road. Within an hour the water level rose, and a number of vehicles were stranded. Some minor accidents caused due to poor visibility have been reported. Later, traffic was diverted from RG Baruah Road to GS Road from Ganeshguri.

On the Mani Ram Dewan Road traffic came to a standstill for more than two hours as the north lane of the busy road was inundated by water and red soil. It was evident that lack of vegetation on the hills was leading to massive erosion, which resulted in red soil being brought down by rainwater.

Supriya Mishra, a young professional, and a resident of Natun Sarania, had to lose vital time commuting between her home and office after water submerged her locality. Due to power failure, the railway gates near Chandmari Colony could not be opened for a long time.

On the RG Baruah Road, there were many of people who had to spend time in bus stop shelters and adjoining buildings as the heavy inundation had halted the movement of city buses. A number of vehicles had to be abandoned by their owners after rising water made vehicular movement impossible.

Poor visibility also caused worries for people on the busy MC Road where a large branch of a tree had fallen off. Motorists on the east lane faced difficulties as it blocked off their path completely.

Many others had a harrowing time, not just from the rains, but also from inundation that followed. In Happy Villa locality of Uzan Bazar, people could not move out of their homes for almost an hour as gushing water from the hills carpeted the roads. �I could not think of moving out of my home as the entire road was swept by rushing water carrying loose soil,� said Rajiv Rajbongshi a local resident.

Scenes on the city outskirts also turned chaotic. In and around Jorabat there was a traffic snarl after the showers started. �Our vehicle was stuck for forty minutes� and I could see several stalled cars on the submerged road,� said Devaksha Das, an employee of Sarva Siksha Abhijan Mission. The rains also caused traffic congestion near the Jalukbari roundabout, where commuters had to lose precious time amid the rains.

Power supply hit: The thunder storm that lashed the central and lower parts of the State this evening, particularly on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra, resulted in massive damage to the infrastructure of the Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd�s (APDCL�s) power supply network.

According to Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) sources, the thunderstorm damaged the 220 Kv Karbi Langpi- Sarusajai line. At places, 33Kv and 11 Kv lines were also snapped under the impact of the storm.

In the city, the Lalganesh, Narengi- Uzanbazar and Kahilipara- Narengi 33 Kv lines were snapped resulting in power failure in a vast area of the city for several hours. The 220 Kv Karbi Langpi- Sarusajai line was restored around 8 pm this evening. The rest part of the damaged power supply network is expected to be restored during this night, said the sources.

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