BENGALURU: Normal life was thrown out of gear with moderate to heavy rain in Bengaluru from Monday night as Cyclone Vardah ravaged Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu. Branches of around 15 trees fell across various parts of the city. Many localities were reeling under darkness as complaints of power cuts came pouring in on Monday night and Tuesday. The perennial issue of water logging came to the forefront again, disrupting traffic movement across the city.
Cases of uprooted trees were reported on CMH Road, J C Nagar, Sanjaynagar, Benson Town, Indiranagar, Halasuru Gate, Yelahanka, Dasarahalli and some areas of Bengaluru South. Power cuts were witnessed in HSR Layout, Uttarahalli, Sanjaynagar, Ejipura, C V Raman Nagar, Koramangala, Yelahanka, JP Nagar and some other areas.
Kamini K, a resident of HSR Layout, said, “The power supply was cut around 8pm on Monday and it wasn’t restored until 11.30am on Tuesday. Even after power was restored, the voltage was too low. Neither the geyser nor the washing machine was working.”
Neha Bhardwaj from Poorna Pragna Layout in Uttarahalli, said, “It was mess in the morning. Since there was no power all through the night, there was no water in our house.”
N Jayanti, general manager, customer relations, BESCOM, said, “We have witnessed power cuts at multiple localities due to the disruption in feeder services due to the continuous rain. We have rectified most of the complaints. We have been getting continuous calls, especially from south Bengaluru. The complaints are mostly regarding feeders and transformers tripping.”
Although there was no severe flooding like in July, many lanes, especially those in low-lying areas, were waterlogged. Traffic pileups were reported during peak hours in the morning and evening in CBD areas, Whitefield and on Outer Ring Road.
The situation on several roads which are not asphalted was pathetic. Kusum Prasad from Ramagondanahalli pointed out, “My apartment is on the Ramagondanahalli Borewell Road link. The scene early in the morning was quite dangerous with school vehicles making their way on the muddy road. Seven years now and we have no proper road, Cauvery water or sanitation.”
Met Department director Sundar Mahadev Metri said, “We are expecting the situation to improve as the intensity of the cyclone has reduced. It has started dissipating after making landfall.”