BENGALURU: BBMP identifies 18 underpasses and will wait for officials’ feasibility report. The solution includes a separate drain in front of the rising & landing ramps of the lower bridge. Sunday’s hailstorm brought down over 109 trees & 200 branches across the city
With a few heavy spells of rain turning the state capital into a mess, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath on Monday said he has asked storm water drain chief engineers to submit an audit report of all underpasses, including railway underbridges, in BBMP limits and the steps that need to be taken during heavy rain.
He told the media that following the death of a young Infosys employee, Bhanu Rekha, at KR Circle underpass, information is being collected on all types of underbridges in the city, and those which could pose danger will be closed immediately.
Girinath said BBMP had identified 18 underpasses so far, and will wait for officials to submit their feasibility report on travelling on these stretches during a downpour. “We will close underbridges where there is no drainage, or water is not flowing smoothly. Action, like closing the underpass during heavy rain, will be taken based on the report, by Monday evening,” he said.
He added that apart from rain, there is also water flowing in from surrounding areas, which collects below bridges, leading to such disasters. Repair work has been carried out in sensitive and highly sensitive areas, based on the list given by the traffic police department. Work on drains was done at 115 places, and now these locations are problem-free. Work is going on in the remaining 25 places. Sensitive areas need to be cleaned,” Girinath added.
Commenting on the eviction of encroachment on rajakaluves, Girinath said the case against eviction in 607 areas was in court. The Palike has cleared encroachments at 500 locations. The drive is still on and encroachment clearance work is going on in the Mahadevapura zone, he added.
BOMMAI BLAMES BBMP OFFICIALS FOR TRAGEDY
Bengaluru: Former CM Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that BBMP officials had failed to take precautionary measures, despite the warning by the meteorological department about heavy rain. Bommai said it was painful that a woman’s life was snuffed out in the rain that lashed the city for just a few hours on Sunday. It was due to the negligence of BBMP officials, he said, adding that soon after the incident, civic body officials did not reach the spot of the tragedy. With the Met department warning about heavy rain for the next five days, precautions must be taken on a war footing, especially as several trees have fallen across the city, Bommai said. SDRF teams need to be pressed into action, he said, urging CM Siddaramaiah to direct officials to take immediate steps in this direction.