BENGALURU: Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun on Friday admitted that city engineers failed in undertaking maintenance work as part of the monsoon preparedness drive to minimise damages across city. Speaking to The New Indian Express on the sidelines of her visit to rain-hit Girinagar and Rajarajeshwari Nagar areas, she said that the havoc was a clear sign that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) engineers and ward officials failed to do their job properly. She said, although so far no case of flooding has been reported, tree falls and damages have become a menace. “Show cause notices will be served to all those engineers who failed in their work,” the mayor said.
Notices have already been served to the engineers assigned with Binny Mills Road where mutton and chicken waste was strewn around the roadside and in drains. The Mayor has taken BBMP engineers to task as the city recorded cases of falling of 63 trees and 233 branches across the city. In Rajarajeshwari Nagar alone, 13 tree falls were reported. The other worst-affected areas were Giringar, Basavanagudi, Banashankari, Hanumanthanagar, Double Road, Ashok Nagar and Bull Temple Road.
Many vehicles were also damaged due to the rain havoc. In Rajarajeshwari Nagar, since the BBMP was unable to clear all the uprooted trees, citizens came out of their homes to lend a helping hand. According to BBMP records, over the last one week, more than 200 tree fall cases have been reported.
The Mayor also blamed the Bangalore Electricity Corporation Limited (BESCOM) for their failure in undertaking maintenance works, which led to pole damages and electric lines snapping, causing major power cuts in residential areas. The BESCOM reported a total tree fall of 2,338 trees and branches and 1,920 pole damages between May 25 and June 7.