BENGALURU: Citizens gheraoed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, KR Puram MLA Byrathi Basavaraj and others on Wednesday when they visited Sai Layout, which is flooded every time it rains heavily in Bengaluru.
The angry residents demanded a permanent solution to flooding and adequate compensation for rain damage. Siddaramaiah listened to the residents calmly and assured them that projects will be taken to prevent flooding.
On Wednesday afternoon, the CM, DCM along with a team of top brass from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and others went on city rounds to inspect areas that were worst hit by the rain. It was also to look at ongoing developmental works and to arrive at action needed to prevent future flooding.
Manyata Tech Park
The chief minister’s convoy, which left Vidhana Soudha, first stopped before Manyata Tech Park. BBMP officials told him that a stretch of stormwater drain (SWD) is encroached here, which is causing flooding in the area. Siddaramaiah lost his cool and berated the officials, saying what they were doing all this while allowing the encroachments. He directed them to demolish the encroachments under the Disaster Management Act to ensure a smooth flow of water.
Sai Layout residents seek answers from CM, DCM
Residents at HBR Layout 5th Block complained to the CM and Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh that there has been no progress in the railway vent work that was approved in March 2023 and that is the major reason for flooding in the area. Siddaramaiah told officials to widen the vent.
While the width of SWD in Geddalahalli is nearly 30 metre, the railway vent is only 8 metre which causes a bottleneck for rainwater, leading to floods in Sai Layout, officials explained. Siddaramaiah told them to widen the railway vent. He said the Railways gave the approval to BDA to carry out the work on May 20.
High drama unfolded at Sai Layout as soon as the bus carrying the CM and officials reached the area. Angry residents surrounded the CM and DCM and asked them why no action had been taken to prevent flooding permanently. A fight broke out between two groups of local leaders. Some flood victims demanded the CM to enter the layout instead of seeing it from the main road to know what suffering they have been going through every rainy season. But the CM chose to stay on the main road and listened to the grievances of the residents. They complained that their houses were completely flooded and demanded compensation for the damage. The CM assured them that the issue of flooding will be addressed.
Byrathi Basavaraj too was gheraoed by the residents, and he vowed to solve the problem by next rainy season and offered to resign as MLA if he cannot find the solution.
Siddaramaiah said two additional railway vents will be built to prevent flooding.
Officials explained that the mess in Panathur 150 feet road and flooding of railway under bridge are mainly because of the narrow railway under bridge and hurdles in expanding the road because of a KPTCL station and forest land next to the stretch. Some residents were seen locked up in a school. It is said that they were invited to meet the CM to share their problems, but were locked up to prevent them from interacting with the CM.
The chief minister later inspected the infamous Silk Board Junction and said the rainwater from four stormwater drains meet at Silk Board and due to the heavy inflow, the area was inundated. He called upon BMRCL, BBMP and NHAI to work together to solve the issue.
He visited Gurappanapalya, where a SWD retaining wall had collapsed and rainwater flooded the houses nearby. He directed officials to address the issue soon and ended his Bengaluru rounds.