BENGALURU: Several flyers were left inconvenienced after incessant rains in Bengaluru on Monday night left the area in front of the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) terminal completely waterlogged. Close to 11 flights leaving from the Bengaluru airport were delayed.
Taxi operations were also affected after the pick-up and drop zones left flooded.
Several social media users narrated their experiences and posted videos of water flooding in front of the airport. A video clip of flyers boarding a tractor with their luggage to the airport for a sum went viral. This occurred on another route to the airport, from the Begur side, and not from Bengaluru city. In the 30-second clip, the tractor operator is seen loudly goading the public on the way to the airport to board his vehicle. A top cop, who was overseeing traffic last night here, has confirmed the veracity of the video.
According to an official statement from airport operator, Bangalore International Airport Limited, "Heavy downpour on the evening of October 11 caused waterlogging in parts of the Kerbside of the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. Our team was immediately pressed into action and the issue has been resolved. Eleven departing flights were delayed due to weather conditions." Website details reveal that flights to Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai and Kochi were among those that could not take off from here.
Due to waterlogging at the CISF junction, traffic was diverted, a statement added.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, North East Division, Bengaluru, C K Baba told The New Indian Express, "Heavy rains caused waterlogging in the taxi lanes around 8 pm and continued upto 10.30 pm. Taxis could not run due to the inundation."
The water was finally cleared jointly by airport authorities, Central Industrial Security Force and police to restore normalcy, he added. "Everything is normal as on Tuesday morning," he said.
One of the flyers @yangchenDTibet had tweeted this: "@BLRAirport Do something to protect people during rainy days. Deep feet water walk a miles between terminal & parking is cruel esp with elderly parents along with us. #rainyday"
Harish Upadhya, who shared a video tweeted: "Drop-off and pick up points at Bengaluru International Airport (KIAL) flooded after heavy rains....the airport vicinity recorded 93.5 mm rain on Monday evening."
Anuradha, a partner of GoPink taxi service, an exclusive service for women which normally operates 24x7 shuttle services told this reporter, "We alerted all our drivers to complete their ongoing ride and log off as it was fully flooded en route to the airport and outside it. We alerted airport authorities too that we would be stopping operations. After 9 pm, we did not run any service and resumed this morning."