The city received 22 mm of rain, and this sudden shower was enough to throw traffic out of gear at major intersections.
Gurgaon woke up to a rainy day today, with the minimum temperature at 21.6°C, registering a 6-degree drop from the previous day.
The city received 22 mm of rains, bringing respite to residents from the heat wave.
But this sudden shower was enough to throw life out of gear in the city, with traffic snarls being reported from different parts. Claims by civic agencies that they were well prepared to deal with the rains fell flat on their face — yet again!
Traffic came to a crawl at different places, including DLF City Cyber Hub, Udyog Vihar, South City I, Sohna Road, Golf Course Road and Sheetla Mata road. Surprisingly, traffic cops were missing in major spots of traffic congestion.
Besides encroachment by small shops, construction debris on the roads, including at DLF Golf Course Road, Sheetla Mata Road, MG Road, Sohna Road and DLF City Ph III, added to the chaos.
Commuters travelling from Palam Vihar to Signature Tower were stuck for more than 40 minutes on the 6-km stretch on the Sheetla Mata road.
Kavita Sharma, who works with an MNC in Gurgaon, said, “We had planned an important meeting this morning, and I missed it due to the jam on Sheetla Mata road.”
Commuters in Udyog Vihar, DLF City Ph III and Shankar Chowk were stuck for an hour.
Isha Singh, a resident of Ardee City, was stuck for half an hour at the crossing near Gold Souk. “The entire crossing was jam-packed. It was horrible,” she said.
DCP (Traffic) Balbir Singh said, “Sudden rainfall across the NCR led to traffic jams in various parts of the city. The officials were sent immediately to all the traffic junctions to control the situation.”
Residents are worried — are the authorities prepared this time? Will there be a July 28 rerun this year too?
