Gurugram rain chaos: School buses stranded for hours with kids, ambulances stuck; WFH, online classes advised
Gurugram experienced significant disruption from rain-induced waterlogging, affecting traffic and stranding vehicles.
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Heavy rain brought Gurugram to a standstill on Monday, with school buses and ambulances getting stuck in waterlogged roads and traffic slowing across several parts of the city. The administration has advised offices to allow work from home and ordered schools to conduct online classes on Tuesday.
The district administration said Gurugram received 70 mm of rainfall by 1.30 pm. Waterlogging was reported from Narsinghpur, Hero Honda Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, IFFCO Chowk and several parts of old Gurugram, while vehicles were stuck around Rajiv Chowk. School buses and ambulances were also caught in waterlogging on Sohna Road.
The rain affected several major roads, including Rajiv Chowk, IFFCO Chowk, Railway Road, Sector 5, Old Delhi Road, Mehrauli Road and Basai Road. The Naharpur underpass was also waterlogged. Traffic remained slow on several roads, with commuters seen wading through flooded streets.
School buses stranded
School buses carrying children home bore the brunt of the waterlogging, with several stranded for hours at Rail Vihar in Sector 47 and Subash Chowk.
The administration subsequently ordered all government and private schools and educational institutions in the district to conduct classes online on Tuesday. The decision was taken citing the safety of students and staff and the likelihood of traffic congestion due to waterlogging.
Offices advised work from home
Deputy Commissioner Uttam Singh, who is also chairperson of the District Disaster Management Authority, said the work-from-home advisory for corporate and private offices would remain in effect on August 25.
The decision was aimed at reducing traffic congestion and facilitating repair and maintenance work on roads and drains by civic agencies, according to an official statement.
The rain also brought traffic movement in parts of old Gurugram to a standstill. Sadar Bazar, Gurdwara Road and Old Delhi Road were among the areas where waterlogging led to traffic jams that continued into the afternoon.
A senior traffic police officer said vehicular movement was choked near the Sirhaul border, Rajiv Chowk, Narsinghpur and some other locations. Traffic police personnel were deployed to manage the situation.
Expressway submerged
A large section of the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway near Cyber Hub, opposite Gateway Tower Metro station, was submerged, disrupting traffic on the major thoroughfare.
Sheetla Mata Road, which has emerged as one of Gurugram's flood-prone locations this monsoon, was also among the worst-affected areas.
Gurugram Traffic Police deployed drones to monitor waterlogged areas and major roads during the rainfall. Officials said the aerial surveillance helped assess traffic conditions, identify sensitive locations and issue directions to personnel deployed on the ground.
Municipal Corporation officials remained on the ground as the rain affected several parts of the city.
Municipal Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya and Additional Municipal Commissioner Yash Jaluka inspected waterlogging-prone areas along with officials from the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority and the National Highways Authority of India.
They inspected areas including Jhar Sa Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, Medanta Underpass, Tau Devilal Stadium, Sohna Road and Elante Mall.
Dahiya directed officials to keep pumping arrangements active in waterlogged areas and ensure that teams reached locations immediately after receiving reports of waterlogging and drained accumulated water. He also directed officials to ensure swift drainage and continuous monitoring.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)
Anagha Deshpande is Deputy Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times. She is currently part of the news team. Before moving into this role, she worked with the Bengaluru desk, where she extensively covered civic issues, Karnataka politics, infrastructure, and urban governance. Over the past seven years, Anagha has worked across multiple facets of digital journalism, including reporting, editing, and video production. She briefly stepped away from journalism, only to realize that the newsroom is where she has the most fun. Her interests lie in tracking national and state politics, particularly South Indian politics, as well as social issues and public policy. She has previously worked with Deccan Herald, Mid-day, The Federal, and ThePrint, and has lived and worked in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai. When she isn't chasing stories, Anagha enjoys long aimless walks, reading, hiking, discovering new teas, and, by her own admission, overthinking almost everything.Read More
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