Monday evening’s rain has turned the Residency Road–Brigade Road junction into a pool. Pedestrians have to tiptoe around huge puddles and at the same time avoid getting splashed by speeding vehicles.
Shopkeepers said they had lodged several complaints with the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to no avail. “Flooding is a major problem here. Around four years ago, an underground drainage system was put in place, touted by officials as the solution. However, it has failed to solve the problem,” remarked Habeeb Ulla Shariff, a businessman.
According to the shopkeepers, the flooding troubles motorists and pedestrians alike, what with the roadside drains getting clogged. Many customers do not want to tread over the puddles to come to our shops. The stench from the stagnating puddles is unbearable, they said.
It also affects vehicular movement. However, a traffic policeman at the spot claimed otherwise. “The traffic does not get affected. The BBMP officials will get to work and clear the mess soon,” he said.
The jurisdictional Assistant Executive Engineer of BBMP told The Hindu that his team would look into the reason for the frequent flooding. “We will soon solve the problem,” he said.
