While most residents of the city were cursing the waterlogging and stagnation in the aftermath of the recent rains, lorry drivers in Manali had an unanticipated bonanza. Many of them took their lorries to a pool of stagnant water, created by the showers at the MFL bus stop, very close to chemical and food processing industries for a wash.
Washing the lorries is an annual ritual leading up to Ayudha Puja on Tuesday and the pool was the perfect place. “The water has no outlet. It lies stagnant here for long. We brought our lorries before the water gets dirty,” said J. Thilakaraj, a lorry driver. “It takes at least Rs 700 to procure the water to clean up the lorry. Besides these services are difficult to obtain and more expensive on festival days. This is an easier option and is free too,” he added. Most of these lorries carry auto spare parts to cities in Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.