The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Chaos reigns in city on rainy Sunday

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Monday, Sep 10, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Chaos reigns in city on rainy Sunday

S. Nagesh Kumar

Several stretches across the city under knee-deep water

—PHOTO : NAGARA GOPAL

No way out: Cars stranded in the waterlogged parking area of Amrutha Mall in Somajiguda following heavy rain on Sunday.

HYDERABAD: A heavy downpour and the consequent collapse of the Punjagutta road flyover brought the city down on its knees on Sunday evening.

The unfolding events thoroughly exposed the inadequacy of the civic authorities -- municipal, police and electricity -- in coping with any type of crisis.

Apparently, no lessons have been learnt after the recent twin bomb blasts that exposed several major chinks in their functioning to keep the important civic services running.

Chaos prevailed on the roads as several stretches across the city were under knee-deep water. Stormwater drains could not discharge the massive quantities of water that flowed on the roads. GHMC staff tried bravely to clear the debris from the vents but their effort was clearly insufficient. A man was killed when his Maruti was trapped in five feet deep water under the Mettuguda railway bridge.

Traffic jams galore

Traffic jams were the order of the evening. All the roads for several kilometres around Punjagutta, the epicentre of Sunday’s disaster, were clogged with vehicles. The Begumpet flyover, Ravindra Bharathi, the Raj Bhavan Road, the Nagarjuna Circle, Taj Krishna and, of course, the Punjagutta circle were a picture of total confusion as the vehicles could barely inch forward.

Ambulances and other rescue vehicles could not make it in time to the site of the accident opposite the Himalaya Book Depot near Punjagatta circle.

The traffic police seemed to have thrown up their hands in despair since the few policemen present watched helplessly as vehicles ground to a halt. Adding to the woes of the citizens, power supply failed in some areas. It was pitch dark at the scene of the accident in Punjagutta making the rescue and relief work difficult.

As a result of the power failure, cable operators were deluged with calls about failure of television signals.

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