BENGALURU: Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Thursday hit out at the BJP government in Karnataka for blaming his party for the recent flooding of Bengaluru’s IT corridor. Siddaramaiah visited Epsilon Villa and Rainbow Drive Layout — two of the worst affected areas — on a boat. The former chief minister also visited the family of the 23-year-old woman who was electrocuted in the Whitefield area three days ago.
Slamming the present Basavaraj Bommai government for trying to shift blame on Congress for the flooding, Siddaramaiah said, “During my tenure as CM, encroachments were identified and efforts were made to clear them. But ever since BJP came in power three years ago, there has been no progress. Had the BJP government acted swiftly, the damage could have been avoided.”
He demanded that the government come out with a white paper on clearing encroachments on stormwater drains. He also warned that Congress would raise the matter in the upcoming legislature session. Siddaramaiah said the recent flooding of the IT corridor has damaged the city’s image and affected ‘Brand Bengaluru’.
Meanwhile, Outer Ring Road Companies Association ORRCA shared a letter with the media highlighting how successive governments in Karnataka have neglected their plea to fix potholes and prevent flooding of Outer Ring Road. “The letter was addressed to CM in 2017 itself and interestingly it was Siddaramaiah who was at at the helm of affairs,” added a member.