Heavy and incessant rain threw life out of gear throughout Gujarat. Three people were feared dead, even as over 40,000 people were evacuated between Tuesday night and Wednesday evening.
While south Gujarat has been receiving heavy rain since September 21, a torrential downpour lashed all major cities during the last 24 hours. Even drought-prone Saurashtra and Kutch were affected, bringing the region to a standstill. All major rivers in central and south Gujarat were in spate and water levels were rising.
Almost all areas in Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat cities were waterlogged with several underpasses and main cross-roads closed for traffic.
In several cities, the administration deployed boats to evacuate people in marooned areas. At least five trains on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai route were cancelled and several others diverted. There was a traffic jam on many highways.
Meanwhile, the Congress has blamed the Narendra Modi administration for heavy waterlogging in all major cities in just 24 hours of rains. In a statement, the party said when the State was reeling under a flood situation, Mr. Modi flew out to Bhopal to speak at a BJP public meeting to “further his prime ministerial ambitions.”
