BENGALURU: Brand Bengaluru took another hit on Saturday night as heavy rains flooded parts of the city, including Sai Layout in K R Puram, which has been battling with flooding for over a decade. Angry Sai Layout residents confronted Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao during his inspection of the rain-affected areas on Sunday afternoon.
Frustrated by the recurring floods, a woman said water in the area rose to hip level and questioned Rao about the delayed inspection. Approaching the tractor on which Rao was seated, she asked, “The area is flooded, and you are coming now. What is your name?” In response, Rao politely introduced himself as Maheshwar Rao.
Speaking to the media, she said, “Some tenants have vacated the layout due to the repeated flooding every year. Unlike them, we cannot leave because we are the building owners.” She further said that despite paying all their taxes, including property tax, residents have yet to see any solutions to their problems.
Echoing similar concerns, other building owners said the frequent flooding has significantly lowered property values, making it difficult for them to sell and move to other places.
Meanwhile, residents of Sai Layout, N C Colony in Pulikeshinagar, and Yelachenahalli in Bangalore South spent another sleepless night clearing rainwater from their homes. They lamented that rainwater mixed with sewage had not only flooded their houses but had also seeped into water sumps, damaging appliances.
Bharati, a homemaker from N C Colony, said they stayed up until the early hours of Sunday, clearing contaminated water. “There is no desilting done. Where will the rainwater go then?” she asked. “We were awake the whole night, clearing water and disinfecting our flooded homes,” she said, adding that they now have to spend money to clean the water tank.
White-topping in CBD, expect traffic snarls
Bengaluru: White-topping work between St Joseph’s College Junction and Opera Junction has led to traffic congestion, especially during peak hours and rain, causing inconvenience to commuters. BBMP closed the road on Saturday to facilitate white-topping work, leading to jams throughout the CBD.
The project is expected to be completed, and the stretch reopened by May 30. With pre-monsoon showers lashing the city through the weekend, the situation worsened as traffic was reduced to a crawl. Ashok Nagar traffic police issued an advisory, urging commuters to use alternative routes.
The stretch from St Joseph’s College Junction on Residency Road towards Shoolay Junction on Museum Road, which was earlier a one-way, has been temporarily made two-way. A traffic police officer said that congestion and slow-moving traffic are expected on weekdays during peak hours as several schools, colleges, and commercial establishments are located here.