Downpour comes as pleasant surprise

Downpour comes as pleasant surprise
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: A cloudy evening paved the way for strong winds and rain on Wednesday evening, thus catching many Bangaloreans unawares. Nevertheless, it was a welcome relief from the scorching heat that Bangalore was reeling under. There was a considerable drop in evening temperatures after the downpour.
While winds blew away hoardings at many places, tree collapses and flooding lead to traffic jams across the city.
While no casualties were reported till late in the evening, incidents of trees and electric poles falling were reported from several parts of the city.
The BBMP control room was flooded with calls from anxious citizens, even as Bescom personnel rushed to rain-affected areas.
Rainfall of 5.3 mm was recorded up to 8 pm on Wednesday. The rain continued to pour till late in the night. Incidents of tree collapse were reported from Kumaraswamy Layout, Frazer Town, Allalsandra, Bannerghatta Road and NES Yelahanka.
At 8.30 pm, traffic on Cunningham Road was stranded after a tree got uprooted and traffic had to be diverted from Balekundri Circle to Queen’s Road, which is normally oneway. A Bescom electric pole was uprooted at 7th Cross Jayanagar. A live wire snapped in front of the Freedom Fighter School in HSR Layout.
Rain delays flights Around six to eight incoming flights were delayed owing to rain on Wednesday. The airport witnessed a rush of flights and some were forced to circle the airport more than a couple of times before being granted permission to land. “Around six flights were circling around the airport. The average time a flight is held out may be around 15 to 20 minutes,’’ authorities said.
While visibility had come down, it was not so poor as to prevent landing itself. Flights coming in from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Goa were among those forced to circle around. Landing time was delayed largely towards late evening. Meanwhile, evening flights bound to Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai were also delayed. All major airlines had to wait a while before landing.
EMERGENCY HOTLINES
In case of rain-related emergencies, citizens may call the following control rooms. BBMP Control Room: 22221188/22975595/ 22100031 Bescom: 22287118/ 22356627/22355180 Traffic: 22943322