Meet the Do-gooders

On a day when the city received heavy rain resulting in flooding of many localities, uprooting of trees and traffic congestion, most people were complaining about the hardship they faced.
Meet the Do-gooders

On a day when the city received heavy rain resulting in flooding of many localities, uprooting of trees and traffic congestion, most people were complaining about the hardship they faced. But some were quietly going about their work to make life easier for others. ASHWINI M SRIPAD spoke to those unsung heroes.

Siddaraju, 43 years
Job: Head Constable, Adugodi traffic police station

Like any other working day, Siddaraju reported for work at 7.45 am on Wednesday at 80 feet road in Koramangala that connects to Sarjapur and Bellandur areas. “I saw slow-moving traffic near the traffic signal. There was water-logging on the road. This is because mud had blocked the drain outlet. With a stick I removed the blockage, allowing for the water to clear and making traffic flow easier,” he said. Just a few days back, when there was heavy rainfall, he was posted near St John’s Hospital. A tree had got uprooted and was slowing down traffic. “I cleared the branches and twigs so that traffic could flow smoothly. We work on rainy days and even under the summer sun.’’

Kiran Badiger, 28 years
Profession: Fire services personnel

Kiran left home at 5 am as he was assigned at 6 am to extinguish a fire on Hosur Road. Soon after he and his collegues were done with that, they were assigned to rescue residents of Rajarajeshwari Vilas Apartment in Bommanahalli. He and others, with the help of two boats, started rescuing people. “Five to six people can sit in the boat at a time and there were hundreds of people. It takes seven to eight minutes to take them from the cellar to the main gate,” he said. Kiran’s shift was to end at 2 pm, but he stayed on “For us, people’s lives matter more,” he added.

Prakash, 46 years
Profession: Electrician with BBMP

A resident of Chandapura, Prakash has been working as an electrician for many years. “I was asleep when they called me around 4 am to inform me about rain. Immediately, I called Bescom office who shut power supply to avoid electrocution. Prakash even helped residents who were carrying their essentials on to the boat. He did not go to work on Wednesday. “I did not spend much, but I helped people. Such acts are not help, it is service to humanity,” he said.

Chandrashekar, 27 years
Profession: Operator at BBMP Control room

Chandrashekar, a resident of Yediyur, joined work at BBMP two years ago. This week he is on night duty. “After 12.30 am, it started raining and calls started pouring in regarding water logging, trees uprooted, water entering houses and apartments. We started alerting our Prahari teams. Some callers request us, some abuse us. We listen to them patiently. We are not angry with them as they express their helplessness when water enters their house or a tree falls on their vehicle. We are here to work,’’ he said.

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