Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

Drains: Minister faces people's wrath

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE May 27. The Minister of State for Bangalore City Development, T. John, on Monday inspected low-lying areas where rain caused death and destruction. He was accompanied by officials of the Bangalore Mahanagara Pailke (BMP).

At Murugeshpalya and Ejipura, he and the officials faced the ire of the residents over the lack of a good drainage system. The people pointed out that the drains were clogged, and that no adequate efforts had been made to clean them. The minister directed the BMP officials to remove silt from the drains immediately

The BMP claimed that it had set up control rooms for monitoring the rain damage. However, some residents complained that they could not contact the control room. Others said they did not get a response.

Motorists and pedestrians across the City took the BMP to task for allowing indiscriminate digging of trenches by other civic agencies and by firms laying OFC.

They said footpaths repaired under the Municipal Bond Scheme, which had been dug up, had not been relaid.

Traders and shoppers at City Market, Kalasipalyam, and Shivajinagar were angry with the BMP for its failure to take up extensive pre-monsoon works to limit rain damage. The worst affected were footpath vendors and shopkeepers who have their establishments on the roadside.

The torrential rains on Saturday wreaked havoc on the City and caught the BMP totally unprepared.

Apart from causing scores of non-fatal accidents, rain claimed the lives of at least six persons, including three members of a family.

Residents blamed the civic agencies for the deaths of a couple at Adugodi and three members of a family at J.P. Nagar. They said no permanent measures had been initiated to prevent flooding.

They pointed out that a child was washed away in a drain on N.R. Road near City Market more than a week ago.

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