Mysore/Mysuru: Heavy rains, accompanied by gusty winds, lashed several parts of the city and district yesterday evening bringing respite from the soaring heat that had triggered health concerns among people.

Following the heavy wind, trees were uprooted and electric poles came crashing down with vehicles passing on the road caught entwined in the snapped cables and damaged at places.

Rain water overflowed on the roads, forcing two-wheeler riders to wade through the deluge, while the pedestrians ran helter-skelter looking for a shelter to avoid getting drenched.

At around 4.30 pm, dark clouds engulfed the city, followed by a heavy wind that carried a plume of dust kissing the skies, never unseen in the recent past, sending shivers down the spine of many two-wheeler and four-wheeler riders, who applied sudden brake for the momentary blindness caused by the dust particles hitting their eyes, leading to the traffic jam at several circles and junctions.

 Some of the riders fell off their vehicles after being hit by the velocity of the wind. While some other riders haphazardly parked their two-wheelers on road, only to run for shelter at nearby shops.

Those inside homes were caught off-guard with the sudden change in weather condition. It’s not just the people, but also the stray cattle and dogs that felt the impact, while the roosting birds were flying astray making a strange sound.

Trees uprooted                      

Several trees were uprooted on Dhanvantri Road near K.R. Hospital, Sanskrit Patashala Circle near Chamaraja Double Road, JLB Road, Ramamandira at Jayanagar, Kukkarahalli Lake area, Jaganmohan Palace, Bogadi-Gaddige Main Road and Mahabodhi School in Saraswathipuram.

Hundreds of tree branches came crashing down on Kalidasa Road, Shivarathreeshwara Nagar in Bannimantap, Vijayanagar Railway Quarters, Gokulam, near Raghavendra Mutt in Jayalakshmipuram, Srirampura Outer Ring Road (ORR) junction, Lakshmi Vilas Road, Ramaswamy Circle, KSRTC Sub-Urban Bus Stand, Mirza Road, Ittigegud Post Office, Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Circle (formerly Hardinge Circle), Rajiv Nagar, JP Nagar, Saraswathipuram, TK Layout, Ganesh Bhandar junction, Yadavagiri, Siddarthanagar, Brindavan Layout, Metagalli Police Station junction, Kuvempunagar, Ramakrishna Nagar, Kalamandira, Vidyaranyapuram, Jalapuri, Niveditha Nagar, Mandi Mohalla, Bamboo Bazaar, Vishweshwara Nagar, Kashipathi Agrahara, Anand Nagar, NR Mohalla and several other localities in the city.

Traffic jams

Following the uprooting of trees and rickety branches, vehicular traffic came to a grinding halt causing traffic jams near KSRTC Sub-Urban Bus Stand, Jaganmohan Palace leaving the riders in haze.

The pedestrians also had to feel the heat of the situation as they had nowhere to go, with the fallen trees and branches occupying the roads proving a hurdle.

The authorities concerned also found it difficult to clear the trees amid rain, adding to the grouse of the general public.

Low-lying areas inundated

The low-lying areas turned into a cesspool with water overflowing on the either side like a canal. Like always, a deluge was created in front of Silver Jubilee Clock Tower (Doddagadiyara) opposite Town Hall.

As the knee deep water accumulated at this junction, the vehicle riders seemed wary of wading through the water, while the pedestrians were seen moving cautiously holding on to the iron grills of the road m edian. 

Vehicular traffic was affected near a petrol bunk on Hebbal ORR, following the accumulation of huge quantity of water on the road.

The Raja Kaluve near Hanchya-Sathagalli Layout overflowed on the roads, due to improper maintenance of the drain that was left clogged at places.

Calls flood MCC control room

There was a flood of calls seeking help at Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) control room. The personnel attached to Abhaya emergency rescue squad of MCC attended to the calls on priority clearing the fallen trees and branches on prominent roads, which stretched beyond late night hours.

The harrowed residents made frantic calls to the former Corporators, who also rushed to their help and coordinated with the officers and Abhaya squad in addressing the issues.

Police lend a helping hand

The Policemen including those attached to Traffic and Law and Order (L&O) wings, also did their mite lending a helping hand to the public to clear the trees and put up barricades respectively, diverting the vehicles towards alternative routes.

Vehicles damaged as trees fall

Numerous vehicles were damaged as the trees uprooted and electric poles fell on them at various parts of the city.

A car parked near a bakery on New Sayyaji Rao Road near Sanskrit Patashala junction was damaged as a tree fell on the vehicle. An autorickshaw and five to six two-wheelers were also damaged in a similar incident that occurred on Dhanvantri Road near K.R. Hospital.

Miraculous escape

Bharath, a two-wheeler rider, had a miraculous escape, as a tree fell on his vehicle at Jayanagar. He along with his two children rushed towards a bus shelter after parking the vehicle on the road, when the incident occurred.

Similarly, trees fell and electric line snapped near City Police Commissioner’s Office on Mirza Road in Nazarbad plunging the area into darkness.

As the power supply went off soon after the electric cable fell on the road, what could have led to a major situation was averted. 

A car belonging to one Kannan parked on 8th cross, Ramanuja Road was also damaged in tree fall, while electric poles uprooted and fell on a stretch of Manandavadi Road near KSIC Silk Factory, damaging a private college bus, KSRTC bus and a car. The occupants of all these vehicles had a providential escape, with no untoward incidents reported in this connection.

Calf suffers electric shock

A calf collapsed after suffering electric shock on 12th cross, Ramanuja Road, but it survived due to the alert locals who informed Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (Cesc) personnel and succeeded in getting the power supply disconnected, thus saving the life of the cattle, it is learnt.

Electric poles fall on buses

Over 300 electric poles, most of them street lights, uprooted and fell on roads in several parts of the city and district, plunging majority of the city into darkness for sometime. At some places, CESC personnel succeeded in clearing the trees and branches to restore power supply, much to the relief of the residents.

“About 15 electric poles uprooted on a stretch of Manandavadi road alone, from KSIC Silk Factory junction to NIE College junction, damaging several vehicles. The 11 KV power line fell, but automatically turned idle as there was an excess flow of electricity,” said Sunil, Superintending Engineer of CESC.

According to another officer, over 350 electric poles uprooted in a short span of 15 to 20 minutes due to heavy flow of wind and the restoration works are on. But, it will be difficult to restore power supply at some of the localities till Saturday evening, he added.