Monsoon is here, but civic agencies are yet to act

Monsoon is here, but civic agencies are yet to act
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Last year’s mad monsoon and the consequent damage in terms of loss of lives, loss to the property and disruption to city life seems to have not sunk in to the civic agencies of Bangalore.

The magnitude of the rain fury even made the former prime minister H D Devagowda take city rounds. Gowda had expressed his anger at the failure of civic agencies to curb unauthorised layouts in low-lying areas and in protecting the citizen from floods. And the monsoon is back but the civic agencies have done little to prevent relapse of the deluge.

The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) has not even completed works on rain-damaged roads and the 19 IT/BT roads. BMP sources told this paper that on an average only 50 percent progress is achieved on 19 IT/BT roads while the original date of completion was December 2005. And 15 rain damage roads are nowhere near completion.

BMP began pruning of trees only a few weeks ago and the storm water drains continue to be clogged and the civic body is helpless before the encroachments.

Puttenhalli area in Bommanahalli CMC and deluge in Pai Layout in K R Puram highlighted the impact of bad town planning in CMC areas but the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has just begun to take up works in the area. But with monsoon already here, the work would hardly provide any relief during this monsoon.

And the remodelling of storm water drains in the city should have been completed by atleast 90 per cent now as per the contract terms of all packages in Koramangala, Chellaghatta and Vrishabhavathy valleys. But the BMP has reported an average progress of 25 per cent on these works. While the BMP commissioner has reviewed the progress after he took over as commissioner, there is nothing that he could do to achieve any substantial progress to prevent flooding in this monsoon.