BENGALURU: The 17.8 mm rainfall that lashed Bengaluru City on Thursday, not only caused roads to get flooded, resulting in slowing down of traffic, but also led to trees being uprooted, one of which fell on an auto-rickshaw, crushing its driver to death.
Mahesh (45), an auto driver residing in Ittamadu, Bengaluru South, lost his life when a huge tree uprooted and fell on his vehicle, around 7.30 pm, in CK Achakattu police limits, locals said.
“He had received a call and had plugged on his earphone, when the tree fell. Immediately, a few of us rushed in and tried to pull him out of the mangled auto. He opened his eyes momentarily, before shutting them again. Officials of the BBMP and BESCOM managed to have the tree lifted from the auto, and shift Mahesh to hospital in an ambulance,” said a resident. However, Mahesh did not make it.
The deputy conservator of forests, BBMP, said that till 9 pm, 10 tree-fall complaints were received, with most of them being attended to. Regarding the auto driver’s death, he said the victim was originally from Mysuru, and details of his family are being sourced. As per norms, ex-gratia will be given to his kin.
The Varunamithra application from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, showed that areas like Hampi Nagar, RR Nagar, Nayandahalli, Vidya Peeta, Kengeri, Herohalli, Horamavu, Pulakeshinagar, and Hemmigepura all recorded over 25 mm rainfall, while in places like Cunningham Road, Fayazabad in Yelachanahalli, Jnanabharathi, Gunjur, and others, traffic proceeded at a snail’s pace.
Gulab Pasha, an activist from Yelachanahalli, said, “Our request to BBMP to desilt drains here always falls on deaf ears. Last year also, a similar situation prevailed. Incidently, within 48 hours of new Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao taking charge, this has happened, and we hope he takes note of it and tells his officers to fix the said issues.”