BBMP focussed on preventing floods

BBMP focussed on preventing floods

Staff Reporter

Ashok, Suresh Kumar tour flood-prone areas

At some places, work on storm water drains has been stopped because of court cases

The height of the retaining walls to be increased at Bhadrappa Layout

Bangalore: The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will focus on providing permanent solution to overflowing of storm water drains, water logging, and other related problems during rains rather than offering temporary solutions only during the monsoon season.

Announcing this after inspecting progress of works on remodelling of various storm water drains in the city on Monday, Ministers R. Ashok and S. Suresh Kumar said that the BBMP had learnt lessons from its experience and would focus on providing permanent solutions to these problems.

The residents at Bandeppa Colony, where the BBMP had built a new storm water drain to prevent flooding of the colony during rains, have expressed their satisfaction as the authorities had come to their rescue. However, the residents said they were yet to experience the impact of the drain as the area so far had not received heavy rains, like in 2006 when it had flooded their houses.

Even the residents of Ansal Apartment, behind Central Silk Board, off Hosur Road too, said the BBMP had widened the storm water drain besides raising the height of retaining walls. Udaya Bose, a resident, hoped that it would stop flooding the area during heavy rains.

Mr. Suesh Kumar said the earlier people were using boats to cross the road in this locality because of flooding of water from storm water drain.
Not happy

However, two MLAs, V. Raghu (C.V. Raman Nagar) and Satish Reddy (Bommanahalli), complained that the BBMP officials, in the last six months, had not taken up any measure to prevent flooding of water at Mangammanapalya, Hongasandra, Bommanahalli, Krishnaiahanapalya and other areas.

Supporters of Mr. Raghu, who stopped the ministers for garlanding them near NGEF entrance, off Old Madras Road, requested the them and the officials to pass through the area to know the bad condition of the road.

However, residents of some localities at Puttenahalli, Annaiah Reddy Layout in J.P. Nagar VI phase have to face problem during rains for some more time as the work on storm water drain is yet to be completed.

Although the residents complain that the some localities had flooded during rains recently, they admitted that the situation was better than the earlier.

Officials told the ministers that work at some points were not completed as owners of buildings, allegedly built on the raja kaluve, had obtained stay orders from courts.

The officials said the BBMP had been making attempts to get the clearance from the court to go ahead with the work.

Work on increasing the height of retaining walls of storm water drain and providing gradient to shoulder drains at Bhadrappa Layout were in progress and the situation was likely to improve once the works were completed.

The officials pointed out that the layout was formed without proper facility to drain out water and because of which even wastewater from toilets stagnated in the open drains.