Roads turn to rivers as heavy rains lash Mangaluru; traffic hit for hours

Mangaluru, Jun 5: Following water logging due to heavy rain, the movement of vehicles was badly affected for more than three hours at Ambedkar Circle here on Monday evening.

The road was filled with water from Ambedkar Circle to Collector's Gate. Motorists had to tackle the twin challenges of traffic pile-up and inundation on the stretch. The traffic jam continued till 8 pm. This caused inconvenience to a large number of passengers who wait to board the buses to Puttur, Vittal, Kasargod, Konaje, B C Road, Talapady, at Ambedkar Circle (Jyothi bus stop).

The police rushed to the spot to control the traffic jam. Additional personnel were also deployed to manage the traffic amid the rain.

The police contacted the MCC's control room on the water logged stretch at 5 pm and appealed to deploy a team of labourers to facilitate the easy movement of water.

A senior police officer expressed displeasure at the MCC for failing to respond immediately. After two hours, the labourers visited the spot without any equipment to clear the drains. It was only after Mayor Kavitha Sanil rushed to the spot, the road dividers were cut using the machines to facilitate the easy flow of water. The drive to cut the dividers continued till 9 pm.

Water logging was also reported in Falnir, Karavali Maidan Circle, Bendoor Circle, Pumpwell, Milagres and Bejai KSRTC bus stand.

Due to the mismanagement of the authorities, the Thokkottu Junction on National Highway 66, submerged in rainwater creating a mess in traffic movement. The stormwater inundated the road. As a result, schoolchildren and drivers of two-wheelers had a hard time in crossing the road.

The incomplete work on the flyover at the junction was the root cause for the problem. As the drains have been covered, the water could not pass through.

Earth movers were pressed into service to allow the easy flow of water.