From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Oct 24: Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa went round some of the worst affected parts of the City which were affected by heavy downpour during the last couple days on Saturday.
Witnessing the devastation caused by the heavy rains, particularly the low lying areas affected by inundation leading to collapse of houses and losses of valuables, the Chief Minister announced that the State Government would immediately sanction an urgent cash relief of Rs 25,000 per family of the affected areas in order to help them to buy their immediate necessities, including clothes and utensils.
Prior to leaving on the Bengaluru city rounds, especially in the worst affected areas of Hosakerehalli and Kumaraswamy layout, the Chief Minister held a review meeting with Revenue Minister R Ashok, Chief Minister’s Additional Principal Secretary Dr E V Ramana Reddy, BBMP Administrator Gaurav Gupta and Commissioner Manjunath Prasad along with Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Kamal Panth at Cauvery in the morning.
Yediyurappa later inspected the affected areas along with the minister and other officials and heard the grievances of the people. He directed BBMP officials to take immediate steps to clear the storm water drains so as to prevent flooding. Permanent measures like constructing concrete walls along Rajakaluves would also be taken, he said.
The Chief Minister directed the officials to be on the alert as the city was likely to receive more rains as per predictions from the Meteorological Department. Protecting lives of people in low lying areas, especially in slums must be accorded priority, he said.
The BBMP control room received large number of complaints of water-logging in Dattatreya Temple ward, Banashankari 2nd Stage, Syndicate Layout, C T Bed, Bhaskar Rao Park in Vidyapeeta, ITI Layout, LIC Colony, Koramangala 4th Block, JP Nagar 6th Phase, Arekempanahalli ward, Hosakerahalli, Dattatreya Layout, Katriguppe, Vittalanagar, Vasanthapura, RR Nagar, JC Nagar, KR Market, JC Road, Kalidasa Circle and many parts of Bommanahalli.
Water gushed into homes in low-lying areas of Bommanahalli and into apartment complexes in Sapthagiri Layout in Uttarahalli, besides the basement of several apartment complexes along the drain in Hosakerehallli.
Roads around Gandhi Bazaar, near the flyover, and Chickpet were also blocked by more than two feet of stagnant water. The compound wall of Gavigangadharaswamy temple, near Harihara Gudda park, collapsed due to heavy rainfall.
The Chief Minister instructed the city civic body to stay alert as the Met department predicted heavy rains for two more days.
Due to rains on Friday evening, while there was waterlogging in many parts of the city, areas such as Hosakerehalli, Nayandahalli, Basavanagudi, Bommanahalli, Rajarajeshwari Nagar and surrounding places were affected as several roads and houses in these areas were submerged under water.
Gurudatta Layout and Dattatreya Nagar, near Hosakerehalli, some areas near Rajarajeshwari Nagar were the worst affected as many houses in the locality were flooded. Gushing waters even swept away some vehicles in the locality.
Several wards in the city recorded more than 100 mm rainfall on Friday and many of the roads were blocked with knee-deep water. Rain water including water and refuse from overflowing drains had flooded even the parking lots in many of the apartment complexes.