Overnight rain turns Bengaluru roads into canals

Bengaluru: Monday dawned on the city with residents in several parts getting a hands-on waterfront experience, as heavy overnight rain turned key roads into canals, frustrating office-goers. NR Road between KR Market and Town Hall, located just a few metres from the city's municipal headquarters, was in knee-deep water, reflecting the severe neglect of stormwater management. The failure to handle waterlogging right on the doorstep of the BBMP headquarters drew the ire of citizens. Incidentally, stormwater drains in this area are being remodelled under a beautification project and crores of rupees have been spent on it.Ganesh Rao, an employee of a bank near Town Hall, was among those trapped in the chaos. "If they can't handle the roads in front of their headquarters, how can we expect them to resolve problems across the city? It's foolish to hope for better results. They're just doing their job of ignoring problems," he said.Rekha Nagaraj, a receptionist at a private company, had to wade through waterlogged streets to reach her workplace. "BBMP doesn't care about its reputation even in front of its own headquarters. So why would they care about what happens in other parts of the city? They will continue to ignore our demands," she said.Elsewhere in the city, the situation was equally dire. The Sarjapur-Marathahalli junction was entirely submerged, with water levels touching nearly 6ft in some areas. Motorists attempting to exit the Agara flyover found themselves in a surreal landscape as they felt they were suddenly adrift in a river.Lokesh Kumar, a techie from HSR Layout, said: "I've been riding through this stretch for over five years, but today I couldn't even identify the road. It looked like a massive canal. I had no idea where to direct my bike."Flooding was widespread, with areas such as Wilson Garden, Richmond Circle, Nelamangala Road, Goraguntepalya, Panathur, Sampangiram Nagar, Ejipura, and Marathahalli severely impacted. Netizens lash outAnger boiled over on social media as netizens vented their frustration over the city's infrastructure failures. Rajat Gupta, from east Bengaluru, posted a video clip of waterlogged roads with a scathing comment: "This is the state of Bangalore (Silicon Valley of India). Taxes like Europe, services like Somalia." Another user, Bipin, tagged senior Congress functionary Rahul Gandhi in a post, writing: "If your govt isn't capable, resign and go back home. Governance is not just about announcing freebies."BBMP engineer-in-chief BS Prahalad offered an explanation but could do little to quell the outrage. "When we receive heavy rain like this, waterlogging is bound to happen. Once the rain recedes, the water will drain. We have dispatched teams to clear the drains, but citizens also share a responsibility. Drains are meant for water, not for garbage. When people throw waste into drains, they get clogged, causing water to accumulate," he said, acknowledging that the stretch between KR Market and Town Hall had significant garbage pile-ups.
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