Ill-Prepared: BMC Caught Unready As Pre-Monsoon Throws Life Out Of Gear

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Heavy rain accompanied by stormy winds disrupted normal life in the state capital on Tuesday night.

The rain also led to waterlogging in many areas, putting a question mark on the preparedness of Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) to handle any emergency situation.

The weather office already warned the civic body about the advent of an early monsoon.

Nevertheless, the civic has yet to initiate flood prevention measures. The rain lasted for half an hour but left the city in disarray. The city thoroughfares soon turned into a pool, and the vehicles moved at a snail’s pace.

Raindrops seeped through the roof of the Municipal Corporation office near ISBT, exposing its inefficiency.

The pre-monsoon rain knocked at the city in early May. Bhopal received the heaviest rainfall on May 20 and 27. Steady winds felled many trees, and the power supply went kaput in many areas.

PM’s meeting venue affected

The rain also affected the preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the city on Saturday.

Modi will address a public meeting at Jamboree Maidan. But the rain led to waterlogging at a few places in the venue. The officials of BMC said they would set everything right.

Control room to be set up: BMC Chairman

BMC Chairman Kishan Suryvanshi said the safety of the citizens is the corporation’s top priority. It is getting ready for the monsoon. A control room will be set up in a few days to deal with waterlogging.

Framework collapses

Rain and storms also caused several accidents. On May 4, a framework collapsed in Kokta Transport Nagar. On May 20, a hoarding fell in Nivesh Nagar, and a traffic signal collapsed in front of Jyoti Talkies at MP Nagar.