Indore rainstorm exposes gaps in smart city planning

Indore faced a major breakdown on Sunday as sudden heavy rain and strong winds hit the city, raising serious questions about the state of the so-called smart city.

Until 2 pm, the city showed no signs of distress. But by 3 pm, a rainstorm swept in, turning into a cyclonic storm by 6 pm and throwing the city into chaos.

Power failure, Waterlogging in most parts 

The storm caused major power disruptions. Out of 426 electricity feeders, 400 shut down, cutting power in around 70% of the city. Many areas remained without electricity for over 12 hours.

The control room of the power company received over 20,000 complaints in just two hours. The system could not handle the sudden load.

Restoration work began after 7 pm. By 1 am, electricity had not returned to the entire city. The company deployed more than 500 workers who worked through the night. By Monday, 90% of the affected feeders had been fixed.

Heavy rain flooded several parts of the city. Areas like Sadar Bazar, Juna Risala, culvert near the garden, Badwali Chowki, Moti Tabela, Harsiddhi, Chandan Nagar, Chandrabhaga Jabaran Colony, and Malviya Nagar had knee-deep water.

Strong winds uprooted trees in areas including Saket, SGSITS, Nalanda Campus, Old GDC, Ranjit Hanuman Road, VIP Road, Dwarkapuri, and Vishram Bagh. This blocked traffic and led to long jams from the Ring Road to BRTS.

Wind speeds became so high that driving turned risky. Two-wheeler riders had to stop on the side of the road. Car drivers struggled to maintain control. From 5:20 pm to 5:55 pm, conditions were so bad that walking on the road became impossible.

Congress protest

City Congress Committee's acting president Devendra Singh Yadav led a protest against the power company, the municipal corporation, and the BJP government. Protesters burnt effigies in anger.

Yadav said poor maintenance by the Electricity Board caused the crisis. State Congress spokesperson Amit Chaurasia blamed the city’s poor planning. He said drainage lines were choked and many homes were flooded due to blocked drains.

He claimed that the rain exposed the failed management behind the city’s development projects. Congress warned that if government departments ignore the public’s problems, the party will launch bigger protests.

Power company responds

The power company said the rain and storm disrupted the supply badly. Workers began repair work at 4 pm.

They used torches to locate faults and climbed up 15–20 feet to remove trees and branches from the lines. Workers cleared tin sheds, branches, trees, tarpaulins, flex boards, and hoardings from over 50 locations. Supply was restored in most areas.

The Malwa Utsav, which was set to start on May 6, was postponed by two days due to the rain. MP Shankar Lalwani announced that the festival will now take place at Lalbagh from May 8 to 14.

This year, the event will highlight tribal dances, folk music, and traditional art from across the country. It will begin at 4 pm daily, with performances from 7:30 pm.

Artists from Uttaranchal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat will take part. The food stalls will offer dishes from Malwa and other states.

The rainstorm has raised concerns about the city's readiness for such public events.

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