Rain, rain: Battered B'luru could have done better with civic body

Most civic officials are not responding in time to complaints of flooding

NT Correspondents Bengaluru: Six days of continuous rain under the impact of the North- East Monsoon and a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, have brought Bengaluru to its knees with desperate city residents who are bearing the brunt, blaming it all on the lack of an elected civic body and the absence of corporators whom they can approach for assistance. The IT City has been without a civic body for the past four years with officers ruling the roost, hardly lending a ear to the plaints of citizens. There is no indication when the polls will be held.

The rains are likey to continue for the next few days and what has added to the discomfort is the dropping temperature which has made most residents pull out their woollens in October itself which rarely happens. Sunday being a holiday, the woes may have been less but with the rainwater forcing its way into several homes and pivotal roads geting waterlogged for hours, there was not much people could do but stay indoors. For instance, the Silk Board to Bommanahalli junction stretch which carries heavy traffic to Hosur and beyond, was water logged leading to huge traffic bottlenecks. There was water logging at the Okalipuram underpass in the heart of the city bringing back grim memories of the shocking incident a year ago when a young woman drowned in her car in a city underpass. In Nagadevanahalli and Sai Layout, rainwater entered several houses forcing residents to evacuate with their belongings and scurry for shelter.

The RR Nagar area saw waterlogging and water entering apartments while Kumaraswamy Layout witnessed rainwater entering more than ten houses. What is ironic is that the South-West Monsoon which causes most of the problems for the city, has already withdrawn which is a pointer to the pathetic state of civic infrastructure; The neglect of drainage, roads, power facilities and hurried attempts to fill potholes, have left residents fuming. With the response from civic agencies muted as usual, many wonder if an elected civic body could have helped them cope with the situation better.