BHUBANESWAR: After a week-long dry spell, heavy rain on Saturday led to massive waterlogging on all major roads in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
While traffic was thrown out of gear as cars and motorcycles waded through inundated roads, several residential areas were flooded, forcing residents to stay indoors until the stormwater receded.
A city bus (Mo Bus) on route No. 22 was almost fully submerged under a flyover near Jatni. It was going to Jatni from Master Canteen square. The passengers and bus crew were safely evacuated. None was hurt in the incident as fire service personnel used high-power motor pump to drain out the stagnant water. Operator Capital Region Urban Transport (Crut) said the services resumed in the afternoon.
All major roads from Rasulgarh square to Kalpana square, CRP square to the Iskcon Temple, the Bomikhal area, Pragati Vihar, Baramunda, Paika Nagar, Hansapal, Haridaspur, Taknapani Road Sai Temple, Gayatri Nagar and Sabar Sahi were under water.
However, Vijay Kulange, commissioner of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, said, "The rainwater receded quickly from most of the areas. There was no major incident of people facing any serious inconvenience anywhere." This is the first major waterlogging in the two cities in the current monsoon season.
