Scenes from Day 2 of Bengaluru floods

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai set out on night rounds in Bengaluru on Monday to assess the widespread damage caused by rain.
Scenes from Day 2 of Bengaluru floods

CM goes on night rounds to assess damages
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai set out on night rounds in Bengaluru on Monday to assess the widespread damage caused by rain. But he had to cut short his visit as Forest Minister Umesh Katti passed away late on Monday night. He said the flood situation is being handled by releasing water from lakes and by clearing encroachments, mostly in Mahadevapura and Bommanahalli. There is a problem in two or three areas, and operations are underway to clear them, he added.

HC basement flooded, lifts for judges out of order
As sumps overflowed due to heavy downpour on Sunday night, the basement of the Karnataka High Court building was partially inundated. Submersible pumps began working automatically after the water reached a certain level. Sources in the high court and PWD said that these sumps overflowed due to excess ground water seepage, resulting in flooding. For the first time in three decades, lifts could not be used by the judges as the pits were flooded. Technicians will inspect the lifts, sources said. A few records stores in the lower compartment of the racks of the index section in the cellar went partially under water, sources said.

Buses under water at Majestic
Flooding at Kempegowda Bus Station (Majestic) left hundreds of buses stuck for more than two hours. At many bus depots in Koramangala, Shanthinagar, MS Palya, Devanahalli, and Kothnoor Dinne, rainwater gushed inside, while an official said the compound wall at some of the depots have. On Tuesday, people were seen pulling a BMTC bus to a safer location in Whitefield.

Girinath’s social media post faces backlash
Enraged Bengalureans lashed out at BBMP and the state government on social media for poor infrastructure and encroachments which have resulted in flooding. Palike chief Tushar Girinath posted on social media on Tuesday: With 162 lakes full, the rain have caused flooding. However the situation has been brought under control, and the flooding is localised between Bellandur and Varthur. The flooding is only limited to 5-6 sqkm. This irked netizens who demanded that he visit the flood-hit areas to witness their plight. They also blamed the BJP for the mess, adding that this problem is not restricted to Bengaluru, but also ails other metro cities as well.

IT firms closely monitoring situation
IT firms, which were slowly bringing employees back to office, have put off plans till the rain situation improves. Wipro adv­ised its employees to work from home, while TCS said it is closely monitoring the situation. Techies have had to wade through flood­waters to reach their offices. The Wipro campus on Sarjapur Road was submerged on Monday. A Wipro spokesperson said, “Business continuity plans have been invoked and there has been no disr­uption. We are monitoring the situation.” TCS said all its associates at Bengaluru are safe, and their delivery teams have been advised to exercise due caution. Only 10% to 20% of IT employees are in office regularly. Recently, Outer Ring Road Companies Association, which represents all major and banking companies on the ORR stretch, in a letter to the CM, said poor infrastructure on the corridor is bringing down efficiency and productivity of the companies, and putting employees’ safety at risk.

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