Karnataka rains: BJP slam Congress and asks where is 'Brand Bengaluru'

 

 

A day after the Siddaramaiah government notified Bengaluru as Greater Bengaluru, the state capital saw a deluge of miseries. 

 

The showers on Sunday left Bengaluru’s drains clogged, roads inundated, and flood water gushing into houses in the low-lying areas. The gusty winds uprooted more than 23 trees, blew off the bus shelters and submerged vehicles. Not just on the roads but in apartment basements and parking lots were affected by the rains.

 

The metro stations became inaccessible due to inundated roads while buses and trucks broke down in the middle of the road due to flooding. A 35-year-old woman died due to wall collapse and has been identified as Shashikala, a private sector employee.

 

A rainfall of 106 mm over three hours is all it took for the IT city to crumble. Bengaluru, which contributes 70 per cent of the state’s taxes came to a standstill on Monday with the citizens wading through knee deep water to reach their workplaces and homes. The civic administration set out to evacuate people from marooned homes with practised ease as devastation due to rains has become the new normal for the civic authorities.

 

Desilting and clearing the encroachment along the stormwater drains, building retention walls to prevent flood water from entering the homes, tree pruning, filling up of potholes and clearing the clogged shoulder drains and the underground drains make an excellent checklist for monsoon preparedness. But it remains only on paper as citizens continue to endure the rain fury in the absence of local corporators.  

 

With subsequent state governments evading holding city corporation polls (since September 2020) due to fear of “losing control” over the city, the Silicon City of India is in a state of criminal neglect. The power tussle between the MLAs and the corporators has resulted in the state government deferring the elections for long on the pretext of delimitation and fixation of reservation and now taking refuge in the new law- Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, which intends to break the city corporation into multiple corporations.

 

Bengaluru development minister DK Shivakumar who was busy in the preparations for the ‘Sadhana Samavesha’ – a public rally to celebrate the Congress completing two years in office, returned to Bengaluru to take stock of the situation. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who accompanied DCM to the BBMP War Room on Monday evening said, “The desilting of drains is being carried out. Of the 859-km-long Rajakaluves, we have built retention walls along 491 km of the Rajakaluves, while work is under progress along the remaining 195 km stretch. 

 

Another 173 km of Rajakaluve is being funded by the World Bank. Unless the retention wall is completed, we cannot prevent flooding of the roads. We have also identified 210 sensitive spots across the city that are prone to flooding. Of this, 166 points have been resolved while 44 need a solution. The civic body will give an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to Shashikala’s family.”

 

The chief minister also informed that he would tour the city and meet the aggrieved families, along with the DCM, city MLAs and ministers on Wednesday.

 

With the IMD predicting more rains for the next three days and sounding a red alert, especially in coastal and Malnad districts, the state is gearing up for more rains.

 

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, R. Ashok, has demanded that the government immediately release Rs 1,000 crore towards relief operations.

 

“A single pre-monsoon shower has exposed the true colors of the Congress government’s ‘Brand Bengaluru’. Instead of rushing to the aid of victims, the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, and ministers are busy with the Sadhana Samavesha preparations. Last year, layouts like Sai Layout and Nanda Gokula Layout were flooded, and Minister DK Shivakumar, along with civic officials, visited them, promising permanent solutions. However, those promises remain mere words. Yet, no one has come forward to address the residents’ grievances,” said Ashok.

 

“Floods occurred in Hebbal, Koramangala, and Vrishabhavathi valleys. The meteorological department has predicted heavy rain for the next three to four days. A task force for emergency relief must be formed immediately, and a helpline should be launched. At least Rs 1 lakh compensation should be given to each household affected by flooding.

The government has failed to learn from last year’s mistakes. Cleaning of drains, stormwater channels, and rajakaluves should have been done in advance, said the BJP leader.

 

“White-topping and repair work are ongoing in many parts of the city, and had the debris been cleared, this situation could have been avoided. BBMP’s failure to take precautions is the cause of these disasters, as admitted by Home Minister Parameshwara himself. What better certificate is needed for Minister DK Shivakumar’s failure,” mocked Ashok. 

India