Jaipur: An hour of rainfall, Thursday, exposed severe gaps in Jaipur’s monsoon preparedness, causing widespread waterlogging, traffic congestion, and property damage across several areas. The sudden downpour left commuters stranded and raised serious questions over the drainage-clearing claims made by the Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) and Jaipur Development Authority (JDA). Key areas including Doodh Mandi, Jaipur Railway Station, Jagannath Shah Ji Ka Rasta, Char Darwaza, and the Jal Mahal stretch suffered heavy waterlogging, leaving two-wheelers half-submerged. Strong winds caused structural damage, toppling a low-floor bus stand at Ajmeri Gate which crushed three e-rickshaws. Falling trees and branches also damaged parked vehicles in Kishanpole Bazaar and Ram Niwas Bagh. Former civic officials criticised the lack of maintenance and unresolved hazards. “Roads are flooded and garbage has been washed onto the streets because the lanes have not been cleaned,” said former councillor Mohammed Zakariya, attributing the lapse to unissued maintenance tenders. Additionally, former councillor Arvind Methi warned that scattered, open road excavations pose a serious threat now that they are filled with water. The chaos was further aggravated by illegal stalls at busy intersections, crippling traffic movement for most of the day.
