GUJRAT: The city became one of the worst examples of urban flooding following Tuesday’s heavy downpour as people got stuck in their houses and routine life was paralysed.

The rain began in the city around midnight and continued for at least six hours, restricting the residents to their houses the whole day.

Because of rainwater accumulation, the routine commercial and social activities came to a grinding halt, whereas many motorists were witnessed stranded helplessly on different city roads.

The rainwater entered houses, business centers, government offices, district courts, graveyards and shops in the main Muslim Bazaar.

Rescue 1122 saves woman, three kids trapped in rain waterin their house

Several worship places, including Walayat Shah mosque on Jinnah Road, Khwajgan mosque on Alipura Road and city’s main church in the same locality, have also been inundated by the rainwater.

Meanwhile, Rescue 1122 officials, responding to an emergency call, rescued a woman and her three children trapped in rainwater inside their house on Jail Road.

The city has been facing the issue of poor drainage and sewerage system for the last four decades and the situation has been aggravating with every passing year.

The situation has particularly worsened in the last two decades due to population influx and unplanned urbanisation.

The elected representatives, as well as administrative officials, under successive governments have so far failed to resolve the issue of poor drainage and sewerage system plaguing the city.

Former chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, in his first tenure (2002-07) had allocated huge funds for the revamp of the city’s sewerage and drainage system, but due to poor planning and low quality of work on projects the taxpayers’ money literally went down the drain.

Despite Shafay Hussain and Salik Hussain, sons of PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, being members of provincial and federal cabinets, so far no groundwork is being done to resolve the issue.

Provincial Minister for Industries Shafay Hussain has recently announced revamp of the sewerage and drainage system of the city under a World Bank-funded scheme approved by the Punjab government, but it is yet to be executed.

robbers killed: Two robbers were killed by the alleged firing of their own accomplices during a shootout with the police at Nekewal Bosal in Gojra police precincts, Mandi Bahauddin district, on Tuesday.

Mandi Bahauddin district police claimed to have arrested an accomplice of the deceased robbers from the scene and said that two suspects managed their escape.

A spokesman for Mandi Bahauddin police said Gojra police had been informed about the presence of some notorious robbers in the area upon which a police party being led by the Gojra station house officer reached the place.

He said the robbers fired on the police party and during an exchange of firing two robbers later identified as Rizwan Nawaz and Aamir were found shot dead by the firing of their own accomplices whereas another suspected robber Danyal Hussain was arrested.

Police have launched search operation in the area for the arrest of their remaining accomplices whereas bodies were shifted to the hospital in Malakwal for autopsy.

Police said they had lodged a case against the robbers and started investigation as the deceased were wanted to Mandi Bahauddin and Sargodha police in different cases.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2024