Ahmedabad gets first major spell of rain; Vadodara battered

In a grim reminder of the 2005 floods, Vadodara virtually came to a standstill after 450 mm (17.7 inches) of rain pounded the city in just 12 hours beginning 6am on Wednesday.
Rain also lashed other parts of the state including Ahmedabad and central Gujarat. An average of 69 mm of rain lashed the city, mainly during the evening rush hour, throwing vehicular traffic out of gear.While the city's first substantial shower of the rainy season came as a relief, waterlogging was seen at the usual places - Panchvati, Law Garden and Ambawadi in the west and Hatkeshwar, Khokhra and Odhav in the east.
In Vadodara, the respite brought by early morning showers suddenly turned into a major scare as the intensity increased in the afternoon and skies poured 17 inches of rain in just six hours between 2pm and 8pm. Hundreds of citizens, mostly those heading home from office, were stranded on roads as water level started swelling due to incessant rain, which left almost the entire city in waist-deep water.
Three rain-related deaths reported
A large number of residential colonies in Karelibaug, Waghodia road, Sama, Makarpura, Dabhoi road, Alkapuri and Akota were flooded and water gushed into several houses. Bungalows of the city police commissioner, the district collector and the IG Vadodara range in Alkapuri were also inundated. “My bungalow has one-foot of water, but we haven’t shifted out. My family is staying on the first floor as of now,” police commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut said.
People were seen leaving their vehicles on the road and wading through deep water to reach home or the nearest safe place.
Official sources said that three deaths were reported from different parts of the city. While a 17-year-old boy named Kalusinh Mahida died of electrocution on Vadsar Bridge, two persons died after a wall fell on them in Chhani.
Vadodara airport too was shut for operations after the runway got heavily waterlogged. All schools and educational institutes, including the MS University, will remain closed today in wake of the situation, collector Shalini Agrawal said. Principal district judge of Vadodara also issued notification to keep all courts in the city and all talukas closed on Thursday.
Rail movement in Vadodara railway division was severely disrupted due to waterlogging near the railway station. Six trains were fully cancelled while seven others were partially cancelled.