Bangalore reels under rain

Bangalore reels under rain
Deccan Herald

Complaints rained in from all parts and the City came to a virtual standstill. Around 100 families were shifted to BMP’s relief shelters.

It was a nightmare for Bangalore on Tuesday. Eight persons were killed and two others were injured in the torrential rain that lashed the City. And the services offered by the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) and fire force personnel seemed woefully inadequate.

In a span of three hours in the afternoon, Bangalore received as much as 60 mm rainfall. The authorities, expressing helplessness, advised residents not to venture out of their homes. A contingent of Madras Engineering Group, KSRP personnel, Home Guards and a platoon of the Rapid Action Force have been pressed into service for rehabilitation work.

Wall collapses

Two women were washed away in Herohalli, 29-year-old Srinivasulu was washed away after he fell into a drain on 18th Cross in HAL II Stage. One Balaji died in Yeshwanthpur after being crushed under a collapsed compound wall, a man was washed away in the swirling waters at the Silk Board Junction; and another man was killed when a building collapsed at Rajgopal Nagar. Thirty-year-old Meenakshi riding pillion on a scooter died after a truck hit the vehicle in K R Puram. The driver is said to have been blinded by the pounding rain. Mary Jaya Rani (13) died when a house collapsed in Banaswadi. As many as 54 houses collapsed in different parts of the City including Herohalli, Sriramapura and Lakshmi Narayanapura. Three houses in Gowri apartments in Dollars Colony caught fire when an electric transformer burst due to the heavy rain.

Complaints rained in from nearly all corners of the City. As usual, the worst affected were the low-lying areas, slums and layouts around tank beds. In Bommanahalli CMC area, the situation worsened with the the Chunchagatta Lake and Konanakunte Lake continuing to overflow. Over 2,100 houses in 31 wards have been affected here.

Ulsoor lake overflows

In the Cox town area, the storm water drain which leads to Ulsoor Lake was overflowing with the water spilling onto Assaye Road. A spokesman of the Bengali Association said water had never entered the association building before.

“I called up the Fire Control Room but they directed me to the BMP. But nobody is answering the phone. I am really scared because snakes might sneak in with the flood water. What do I do now,” asked Ms Gayathri, a resident of Kodandaram Layout in Ulsoor, a flood-affected area.

By evening, 100 families in South Bangalore were reportedly being shifted to relief shelters set up by the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) in different areas.

Arrangements for supply of food, clothes and blankets were being made in conjunction with ISKCON and the Handloom Development Corporation. According to BMP Additional Commissioner Gaurav Gupta, the first evacuees were from Kempegowda Nagar, Bande slum, Kamalanagar, M V Garden and Jayamahal areas. A total of 21 relief centres have been identified by the BMP to temporarily rehabilitate people who may be displaced due to inundation of their houses.

Arrangements have been made to accommodate up to 5,300 people.

The heavy spell affected the working population and students the most as they were returning home. Most of them were found stranded at bus shelters. “I have been waiting for a bus for more than an hour,” said Rashmi, at the Sadashivanagar junction.

BMTC Chief Traffic Manager Dastagir Sharieff agreed that the frequency of buses was affected and they had to cancel several trips as some roads were inaccessible.

The BMTC’s workshop at Shantinagar was inundated, marooning nearly 40 employees. In the absence of buses, autorickshaw drivers made a killing. KSRTC bus services were, however, normal. KSRTC pressed into service 12 additional buses to Chennai and Vellore as trains on that route were cancelled.

The City roads were chaotic. Traffic choked on most of the roads and breakdown of vehicles was a common sight. Poor visibility forced motorists to switch on their vehicle headlights by 4 pm itself. Even when traffic moved, it was at a snail’s pace. On the advice of police, KSRTC authorities diverted Mysore-bound buses via Magadi road instead of Mysore road. Bangalore City Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Security) M N Reddy, through a private FM channel, appealed to citizens to stay at home.

Vegetable and fruit stalls in Madivala and KR Markets wore a deserted look. At Madivala, a customer noted that the price of Okra had shot up from Rs 8 to Rs 15 and beans from Rs 20 to Rs 30 a kg in the space of two days.

As of 8.30 pm, the rainfall was recorded at 86.5 mm. The intense rain will continue in the coming days even as the fear of an epidemic looms large over the beleaguered citizens.