Inundation, traffic snarls and power cuts after thunder showers on Thursday once again highlighted the lack of monsoon preparedness on the part of civic agencies.
Though it was a holiday for government offices on account of Valmiki Jayanti, private sector employees were stranded on the road for hours together as rain lashed the city through Thursday afternoon and evening.
Vehicles were stranded at the railway bridge at Shivananda Circle, near Nayandahalli metro station on Mysuru Road, Electronics City and Silk Board Junction as roads were inundated. Those that did manage to move had to do so cautiously, wading through water-logged roads.
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Adike Venkatesh, a resident of Rajarajeshwari Nagar who takes the Mysuru Road every day to Gandhinagar, avoided the stretch from Nayandahalli to Kengeri due to the water-logging and traffic jam. “Flooding is not new here. The problem has been persisting for 15 years and nothing has been done to address it. Apart from flooding, the metro work is also adding to the traffic problem.”
Bharath Shenoy, who works in a market research firm on Hosur Road, took over an hour-and-a-half to reach his home in Adugodi, though the journey takes only 20 minutes on normal days. “It is barely a five-kilometre distance. But things started to get worse when the autorickshaw I finally managed to get reached the signal at Bommanahalli. The roads were choked with water and traffic,” he said.
Those who work at Manyata Tech Park were stranded in their vehicles inside the campus for nearly three hours owing to the cascading effect of traffic jams outside.
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Box 1
Koramangala hit again
Staff Reporter
Bengaluru
Areas that have borne the brunt since the morning of August 15 continued to put up with similar scenes on Thursday as well. Water — rain water mixed with sewage — entered homes in 4th block yet again. “We live on the first floor, but have a medical shop on the ground floor. Since August 15, all we have been doing is moving medicines in and out of the shop. We are at a loss on what we can do. It has been traumatic,” said Suma.
Mayor R. Sampath Raj said a retaining wall of the stormwater drain in Vijayanagar had collapsed. The BBMP had fixed sand bags as a temporary measure.
“We have also received complaints from Domlur, Vijayanagar, H.S.R. Layout and have pressed Prahari teams into service. Though Electronics City does not come under the BBMP, we have alerted the fire force,” he said.
BOX 2
Filling potholes on hold
Staff Reporter
Bengaluru
Thursday’s rains dashed citizens’ hope of having a smoother ride on the city’s roads. The BBMP’s 15-day deadline to fill — by its own estimates over 15,000 potholes — will in all probability not be met.
Though work began on Tuesday, the rains have stalled work. “We wanted to fill at least 2,000 to 3,000 potholes on Thursday, but we will have to wait,” said the Mayor.
The palike claims to have filled 1,000 potholes so far.