Authorities remain insensitive to public need

Calls aplenty but the relief measures virtually invisible
Deccan Herald

Chief Minister N Dharam Singh’s stern warning a few days ago to the civic agencies to gear up to tackle rain havoc seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. The unpreparedness of the authorities in the City in rising to the occasion was evident in more ways than one.

Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP), Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) began receiving calls from panic-stricken residents in low-lying areas as early as 6 pm on Tuesday. The BMP and fire brigade received more than a hundred complaints of flooding in various parts of the City since Tuesday evening. The BMP received 70 complaints of flooding and 11 complaints of uprooted trees. BMP officials told Deccan Herald, that there were at least 30 complaints from Mathikere and surrounding areas. The BWSSB received 32 complaints. Of course, Mayor P R Ramesh and a host of his officials visited certain rain-hit areas. But the visits did not solve the problem of the aggrieved.

The BMP and BDA are responsible for draining out rain water, but no initiative was seen from their end. When reporters of this paper visited Mathikere and Kengeri, the residents were seen struggling to drain out water from their houses.
Around 12:30 pm on Wednesday, the slum-dwellers near Basulayout in Mathikere were seen using buckets and small vessels to drain out water from their houses. In Pantharpalya slum, off Mysore Road, women in many households were seen pushing out water with brooms, vessels and their bare hands.

Though some used shovels, there was no sign of any civic agency helping out the slum-dwellers with motors to drain out water. “All the household vessels are now piled with mud and slush, because that’s all we can do to drain out the water. All clothes are wet, and while the women fill the vessels with mud of collapsed walls, the children are throwing it into the street,” said Murugesh, a resident of 15 years. The last time such havoc was seen in the locality, with over 1,000 huts, was five years ago, he recalled.

However, BMP chief engineer Rame Gowda said the Palike has taken up relief and restoration work from September 8 itself. “We are desilting drains wherever necessary and reconstructing the retaining walls of damaged and collapsed storm water drains,” said Mr Gowda. The BWSSB claim that they have stationed sewerage cleaning machines at their control rooms. “We are co-ordinating with the BMP when and where necessary,” said K R Narayana Iyengar, chief engineer (maintenance). As for the power supply in the City, authorities with the Bangalore Metropolitan Area Zone said that their job has been done.