Bengaluru Hebbal Turns Into Lake City, Exposes Civic Infrastructure | VIDEOS

Bengaluru: Bengaluru was transformed into a modern-day Venice due to heavy downpours which lashed the IT city on Monday. Severe waterlogging and extensive traffic jams was witnessed following early morning showers. During peak hours, Bengaloreans especially officegoers and school-going children faced massive disruptions due to extensive traffic jams and flooded roads. 

The northern and eastern parts of the city were hardest hit, with severe waterlogging reported on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) between Nagawara Junction and Hebbal, as well as on Veerasandra along Electronics City Road, parts of Hosur Road, and Bannerghatta Road.

Areas like Marathalli, Karthik Nagar, Kalyan Nagar, Puttenahalli, Varthur Kodi, and Panathur Main Road experienced heavy waterlogging. Efforts have been underway to clear the traffic and restore normal movement.

Residential areas in low-lying regions faced waterlogging, with some homes experiencing water ingress. Several underpasses were also submerged, exacerbating the situation.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also in charge of Bengaluru development, visited some of the rain-affected areas to assess the situation. "If water has entered apartments and houses, let's rectify it. We want the groundwater levels to increase," he said. Noting that areas around Bengaluru like Ramanagra, Channapatna, Kanakapura, Magadi, Tumakuru, Kunigal and Kolar have not received good rains, he further said: "Malnad, coastal and other places have received rains so that dams are filled, but here rains are not enough, groundwater levels have to increase." Bangalore South MP and BJP leader Tejasvi Surya said the waterlogging and flooding in Bengaluru, after a few hours of rain in the early morning, once again exposed the absence of municipal leadership in the city.

"For a long, we have implemented band-aid solutions to Bengaluru's traffic problem and poor urban infra, instead of approaching it from the perspective of a well-structured town planning body. Such solutions only fix the symptom and are not the remedy for the problem itself, he posted on 'X'. 

He said 'Brand Bengaluru' stands for technology innovation, unmatched talent pool and rich local culture, but sadly, "only the traffic, water logging, potholes and garbage management issues seem to be marking our brand." "I had highlighted how the city lacks a directly-elected mayor with a workable term of 3-5 years who can be held accountable for the city's urban infra. Global cities like London, New York and Paris have such strong powerful mayors looking solely into the city's needs," Surya said.

He said the Congress government has neither taken any step to form the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority nor has it delegated traffic engineers any power to plan the traffic management of the city. "Unless we take up town planning and rework on our layouts, 'Brand Bengaluru' will remain a dream."