BENGALURU: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said on the floor of the Assembly that the state government is committed to develop the entire 859 km stretch of storm water drains in Bengaluru in a time-bound manner. Encroachments are delaying the development of drains and they will be removed without yielding to any pressure, he asserted.
Replying to Congress MLA Krishna Byregowda, who raised the issue of drains in Bengaluru, Bommai said the storm water drain work has been going on in Bengaluru for the last 20 years. Of the 859 km stretch, 400 km has been developed. “Recently, I sanctioned Rs 1,500 crore and additional Rs 300 crore for drain and other works. The works we have sanctioned will take two years to develop and it also involves removal of encroachments, which is taking time. The drain work that is going on now was sanctioned during your (Siddaramaiah’s) period. This time, Bengaluru also received more rain causing floods in a few pockets,” he said.
“We will take up crucial works on priority. The funds allocated now will not be sufficient. But we will keep allocating funds for the works to be completed,” he added.Of the eight zones in the city, only two have issues with storm water drains, especially Mahadevapura zone, where water is flowing from 69 lakes, he said.
Krishna Byregowda earlier said that Bommai had announced that he would release Rs 1,500 crore last year, but the work has not started. “If we had taken up the works and developed the drains, the flooding would not have happened. Many properties were damaged and human lives lost. It affected Brand Bengaluru too. If drains are developed, 80 per cent of issues will be resolved” he said. He urged the state government to develop drains on priority and that will be an asset.
BJP MLA from Mahadevapura Aravind Limbavali said they will continue to clear encroachments. “There are many big buildings in Mahadevapura and many of them do not have rainwater harvesting. Water is overflowing from over 60 lakes to our area,” he added. Bommai said they have approved installation of sluice gates at lakes to control flooding. The storm water drain master plan will be redrawn and with additions if required, he added.