Ahmedabad: Palak Shah left his Sarkhej warehouse at 5pm, expecting to reach his Naranpura home soon. Five hours later, he was still stranded near Juhapura after covering barely 3km. “I have never felt so helpless,” said Shah.A 2km-long serpentine queue stretched between Sarkhej and Juhapura as the waterlogged road slowed vehicles and caused several to break down. “People were stuck in their vehicles for hours. There was only water to be seen everywhere, and it triggered anxiety,” said Shah who reached home around 11.30pm.Motorists called helplines repeatedly as the traffic remained at a standstill, but help was slow to arrive. With no immediate way out, many waited inside their vehicles for hours.
Heavy traffic jam at Valinath Chowk due to rain in Ahmedabad
Residents from nearby areas distributed snacks and biscuits to those caught in the jam.“People were calling the authorities, but there was no help,” said Shah. The situation near Vishala Circle became so difficult that a police team had to rescue children from a stranded bus, sources said. By midnight, a narrow passage opened up. “It will be morning by the time traffic clears,” Shah added.Across the city, commuters who left work for home remained stranded on roads three to four hours later.Police reported severe congestion at Hanumanpura, Akhbarnagar Underpass, Shahibaug Underpass, Juna Vadaj, Memnagar-Jaimangal, Manekbaug, Nehrunagar, Sarkhej Circle, Umiya Vijay, Science City Approach Road, Naroda Road, and the service road near Parshwanath Jain Mandir.
Waterlogging due to rain at Palladium Mall in Ahmedabad
Waterlogging also disrupted traffic near Palladium Mall and in Hatkeshwar, Naranpura, and Juhapura.The stretch between Sindhu Bhavan Road and Taj Skyline was flooded, making it difficult for motorists to pass. Water also accumulated on SG Highway.The authorities closed several underpasses after water accumulated in them. This forced vehicles onto alternative routes, adding to congestion on already crowded roads.For many, even short journeys home turned into hours-long ordeals. Bodakdev resident Jimit Shah, who had a 6pm flight to Delhi, left home at 2pm because he expected delays. “In the morning, it took me around 45 minutes to travel from my home to Gujarat University. I did not want to take any chances before my flight,” he said.Retired chief secretary G R Aloria also got caught in the gridlock. “It took me two hours to travel from Thaltej to Gandhinagar,” he said.
Flooding at Iskcon-Ambli Road in Ahmedabad
Ambawadi resident Nirav Joshi, who works at a private company in Mithakhali, said his usual 15-minute commute took more than 45 minutes. “My friends are still stuck in traffic. Some have moved just a kilometre in one hour,” he said.IT professional Neha Shah was at Iskcon when her child’s school called and asked her to pick him up. She travelled to the school in the Drive-In area before heading home to Naranpura. “I started around 11am and reached home at 3pm,” she said. The trip took her four hours.
