Waterlogged roads add to commuters' woes

Heavy rains for many hours in Dehradun on Thursday caused waterlogging in different localities and submerged stretches of various city roads in upto knee-deep water. Though the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun has started some roadside drains to mitigate waterlogging, this has not had the desired effect.

According to Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli, the apathy of the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority and the Public Works Department is also to blame for this state of affairs as these two bodies are not focusing on ensuring proper storm water drainage in town.

About five hours of rain in Dehradun on Thursday caused waterlogging in various areas and disrupted traffic on stretches of various city roads. The Mayor said, “Dehradun experiences water overflow not waterlogging during the rains. This is because the existing drainage system is inadequate to cope with heavy rain. Dehradun is on a slope so the water drains out naturally after some time. We have prepared a storm water drainage master plan worth Rs 400 crore for which we will seek approval under the second phase of JNNURM in 2014.

Meanwhile, bodies like the MDDA and PWD should also focus on ensuring that unplanned or improper construction does not exacerbate the situation. The PWD recently covered the roadside drains on Subhash Road near the Parade Ground though a lot of rainwater accumulates in this area. Such works hamper the draining process and care should be taken to avoid this,” said Chamoli.

Various localities including Inder Road, Mohini Road, Municipal Road, Balbir Road, Circular Road, Race Course, New Road, Subhash Road, Survey Chowk, Raipur Road, Prince Chowk, Raja Road, Clock Tower, Nashville Road and other areas experienced water logging. Rajpur Road MlA Rajkumar visited various areas and directed officials to take necessary action.