BENGALURU: It was the first day of the week. If Monday blues were not enough to make it tough for employees to start their day, the waterlogging in front of their workspace made them an annoyed lot.
Traffic movement was crippled on the Outer Ring Road making it impossible for many to even reach their offices. Water from Savalakere overflowed into a nearby drain following rains, resulting in flooding and turning a part of the Outer Ring Road near Bellandur into a river.
There was at least two to three feet water on the road, making it impossible for two-wheeler riders to pass through.
It was a nightmare for those who had to reach offices at RMZ Ecospace, a tech park located in the area, as it was waterlogged. Usually, on weekdays, techies are expected to wear formal dress. And on Monday, they were seen struggling to wade through the road balancing laptop bags in one hand and shoes in the other.
“It took me one hour to travel a stretch of less than a kilometre. I could see my office from the cab. I could not even get down from the cab and walk,” said Rajendra Kumar, a techie.
Kumar remarked that the skywalk in front of the office was put to maximum use on Monday as people had to take to it. Many also took the help of security guards to be able to cross the roads. While private security guards tried to help walkers cross the road with the help of sticks, traffic police had to push several two-wheelers that broke down while they tried to cross the stretch.
Shashi, another employee said, “I couldn’t bear the traffic. So I returned home midway. I saw a BMTC bus break down and commuters evacuated in a tractor.”
Many work from home
While several commuters who had to take the route were forced to take diversions, others were forced to stay home. Some people who worked from RMZ Ecospace were given an option to work from home as it was nearly impossible to go into their office which was inundated. “There is a lake in front of my office. I got a message from my office that my shuttle has been cancelled.
I have been given an option to work from home today,” said Rajeev, who works for Intel. Even employees at CISCO were given the option to work from home.Furious locals argued with a BBMP engineer because though their houses were also flooded, commercial buildings and office workspaces were given priority.