Bengaluru rains: Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar visit rain-ravaged localities

Bengaluru, May 19 (IANS) In the wake of damage caused in several areas due to last night's heavy rainfall in Bengaluru city, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Urban Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar visited the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) War Room on Monday.

Shivakumar later also visited rain-ravaged localities in Bengaluru and reviewed the situation. Shivakumar visited the Silk Board Junction and the Gopalan Mall Junction in R. R. Nagar locality.

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, who reached the war room in the bus, received a detailed briefing from the BBMP Administrator Tushar Girinath at the war room.

Subsequently, through a virtual conference (VC), they reviewed the issues at Sai Layout, Manyata Tech Park, and Silk Board Junction, and gathered information directly from officials and local residents, who are most affected by heavy rains.

First, after hearing about the problems in Sai Layout, the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah assured residents that the Geddalahalli railway bridge will be widened and a permanent solution to the ongoing issues will be provided.

In the Manyata Tech Park area, instructions were issued to construct a separate stormwater drain directly connecting to the main drain, and to undertake this work immediately under disaster management provisions.

At the Silk Board Junction, where the road is waterlogged, JCB machines have been deployed to create vents and facilitate water flow from the road into the stormwater drain. Instructions were given to the concerned authorities to reconstruct the drains in a comprehensive manner, aligned with water flow capacity, in coordination with the Metro authorities.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah offered suggestions and issued directions on necessary relief measures.

He also gave instructions over the phone to officials in the affected areas, directing them to take appropriate and immediate action.

Minister for Energy K.J. George and Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh were present and reviewed the situation with seriousness.

MLA N.A. Haris, the Chief Minister's political secretaries, Govindaraj and Nazeer Ahmed, Legislative Council members Seetharam and Sudham Das, among others, were also present.

Speaking to the media, after the review meeting with Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar said, "We know the concerns of Bengaluru and we will sort out the issues of the city. At all places, the authorities are working hard."

“We have sorted out the issues up to 70 per cent in Bengaluru city. But, still we have to do the job and we will do it,” he said.

Former Chief Minister and BJP Member of Parliament Basavaraj Bommai has accused the government of drowning Bengaluru in water and washing away the city's former reputation in the floods.

In a post on X, he stated that despite collecting the highest taxes from Bengaluru, the government has failed to release the Rs 2,000 crore allocated during their (BJP's) tenure for rain-related relief for the past two years.

He added that the "Silicon City" and "wealthy city" of Bengaluru have been turned into a "poor city" by this government, calling it highly condemnable and demanding that the government take immediate action.

The heavy rains have disrupted life in Bengaluru city and claimed the life of a woman, a private company employee.

--IANS

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