No More Basement Parking in Bengaluru? Check Details

Bengaluru: Two men from Bengaluru, Manmohan Kamath and Dinesh were electrocuted near NS Palya in BTM Layout 2nd Stage during heavy rains. This after water-logging submerged electric equipment in the basement of a low-lying area.

Following the incident, Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar visited the site with civic officials and made an announcement that the Karnataka government will soon introduce a law to ban basement parking in low-lying areas of the city. 

“Basements are becoming death traps during rains,” Shivakumar said. 

Shivakumar said he had already instructed his office to draft legislation mandating that parking be moved to first floors in vulnerable zones. 

“Pumps and equipment placed underground are leading to dangerous situations,” he said, referring to previous incidents in Rajarajeshwari Nagar as well.

Compensation and Reforms on the Way

The Deputy CM announced an immediate Rs 5 lakh compensation to each victim’s family. He also promised reimbursement for livestock losses and assured a revised urban action plan post-monsoon. “144 hazardous electric points have been fixed, but a few failures remain. We’re acting fast,” he added.

Facing criticism over the BBMP and BWSSB’s delayed response, Shivakumar admitted shortcomings. However, he assured citizens of 24x7 real-time CCTV monitoring and a fully operational war room to tackle such emergencies. 

“Officers are now deployed round the clock,” he said.

Responding to social media trolls and opposition barbs, Shivakumar took a firm stance. “Those mocking Bengaluru damage the city, not us. Let the BJP talk — we’re focused on results,” he declared. “When Modi completed five years, they celebrated. We’re proud of our two.”