CHASING away MONSOON blues

CHASING away MONSOON blues
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: MLA Satish Reddy had his first taste of on-ground administration on Monday. The BJP MLA from Bommanahalli constituency, along with a team of supporters and officials, inspected low-lying areas in Puttenahalli which are gearing up for the annual ritual of monsoon damage control.
The team covered locations, like Ashtalakshmi Layout in JP Nagar 6th Phase, that have a history of flooding. However, at the end of it, they were left struggling for solutions to an old problem: encroachment on drains.
“Flooding here has been a problem for six to seven years. Though about 60% of efforts to evict encroachers and widen drains have borne fruit, many have approached the court and obtained a stay against eviction,’’ Reddy told TOI.
These stay orders have cornered the authorities. A possible way out could be by deliberating with the offenders. According to officials, residents who have constructed houses on drains contend there was no opposition when they built the houses. “They want to know their gain in leaving these houses. Along with the BBMP officials, I plan to initiate a dialogue to address these issues,’’ said Reddy. The MLA also said he has short-term plans lined up to address flooding in areas close to Sarakki and Puttenahalli lakes. Monday’s visit will be followed up with constant meetings with residents, assured Reddy.
Too little, too late?
On the sidelines of the MLA’s visit, residents continued to highlight what they called a basic administrative flaw. “Mass encroachment has taken place in these areas. But what’s the point in planning action now, when the damage is already done? If the matter is in court, it means that there won’t be an immediate end to the flooding problem,’’ said Mahesh, a resident of Ashtalakshmi Layout.
With the rain pounding harder, residents in and around Puttenahalli are bracing up for tough days ahead. Some are piling up sand-sacks and bricks in front of homes to keep the water away. There are not many options, though, for those who stay close to open drains.
“The small drains cause the maximum damage, spilling over and flooding the entire area. While everyone knows that encroachment is the root problem, there has been no corrective action, apart from last year’s eviction drive,’’ said Chandrappa, a resident.
For Bangalore MLAs, it was a day spent listening to citizens’ rainwater woes. While the encroachment on drains in Puttenahalli called out for immediate attention, residents of South Bangalore too poured out their share of woes to the legislators. With the weatherman predicting more showers over the next couple of days, the city’s stakeholders are busy checking how to control damage