Heavy rainfall on Thursday morning disrupted normal life in Jalandhar, while traffic signals at two major intersections remained inactive, adding to the inconvenience faced by commuters. Water-logging in several parts of the city further slowed traffic movement and affected daily activities.
Traffic signals at PIMS Chowk and Shaheed Major Kapil Vinayak Chowk were found inactive during the morning hours and with the signals not functioning, traffic moved without signal regulation, leading to congestion and delays at both intersections, the situation became more difficult as continuous rain increased the traffic load on the road.
Commuters travelling through these busy junctions experienced slow-moving traffic, while pedestrians also faced difficulty crossing the roads due to the absence of working traffic signals and the rain further reduced the speed of vehicles, resulting in longer travel time during the morning rush.
Heavy rain also caused water-logging at several locations across Jalandhar and one of the worst-affected areas was near Bhargav Camp Police Station, where rainwater accumulated on the road. The waterlogged stretch created difficulties for commuters and affected the smooth movement of vehicles.
Shopkeepers in the area also faced problems as water entered the surroundings of their shops, disrupting normal business activities, residents and motorists had to move carefully through flooded roads as traffic continued to slow down.
The combined impact of inactive traffic signals and water-logging caused congestion at several locations across the city, making travel difficult for office-goers, students and other commuters.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning of heavy rainfall at isolated places in seven districts of Punjab on Thursday and the districts include Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr), Fatehgarh Sahib, Rupnagar, Patiala and SAS Nagar (Mohali).
According to the weather forecast, light rain or thundershowers may also occur at one or two places during the day, while Chandigarh is expected to remain partly cloudy and with more rain likely, water-logging and traffic congestion may continue to affect movement in parts of the city.