Heavy rain submerges Silchar, disrupts Durga Puja preparations

Silchar: A few hours of continuous rainfall on Sunday brought Silchar to a standstill, leaving vast stretches of the city submerged under knee-deep water and throwing daily life out of gear.The sudden flooding has come as a jolt to residents and traders, especially with Durga Puja preparations at their peak.According to residents, heavy showers that began in the morning continued for hours, leading to waterlogging on almost all major thoroughfares.Key stretches such as Link Road, Bilpar, National Highway Road, Sonai Road, Shillongpatty, Ambicapatty Chourangi, Vivekananda Road and Fatak Bazar turned into streams, causing traffic snarls and forcing commuters to wade through water. Several vehicles broke down midway, aggravating the chaos.What has compounded worries is that water entered a number of households and business establishments, particularly in low-lying areas. Traders at Fatak Bazar and Ambicapatty complained of losses as floodwaters damaged stock kept for the festive season. “Just when sales were beginning to pick up, this deluge has ruined our prospects. Many of us will struggle to recover in time for the Pujas,” a local garment shop owner said.Artisans at Purna Paul Road, known as “Kumartuli of Silchar”, engaged in idol-making are also in disarray. At least a dozen workshops reported damage to clay idols and pandal materials. “We were almost done with finishing touches, but rainwater seeped into the shed. Repairing the idols will take extra time and money,” an idol-maker said.Residents have blamed poor drainage and a lack of preparedness by the civic authorities for the flooding.Officials of the Silchar Municipal Corporation (SMB) said teams have been deployed to pump out stagnant water and clear clogged drains. They assured that measures were being taken on a war footing to restore normalcy ahead of the festival.