Ludhiana, July 2 -- A man wading through knee-deep water under the newly built bridge near Chand Cinema on Tuesday morning, trying to push his half-submerged car to safety, became the defining image of how a few hours of rainfall exposed the Ludhiana municipal corporation's (MC) hollow claims of monsoon preparedness.

With showers lashing the city for only a few hours, waterlogging brought life to a standstill in several areas. Commuters were left stranded, vehicles broke down, and streets resembled water channels. The worst-hit areas included Shivpuri, Chandan Nagar, Focal Point, Chandigarh Road, Transport Nagar, Dholewal Chowk, Ferozepur Road, and Salem Tabri.

Road below the newly built bridge became a trap for commuters as an SUV stuc...