Bengaluru: After heavy rain flooded Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the 'maladministration' of the previous Congress governments is responsible for the current situation.
He noted that the Congress government granted permission for construction activities "right-lift-centre" in the lake areas, tank bunds, and buffer zones. The CM blamed encroachments and lack of maintaining the lakes as reasons.
Congress' state president D K Shivakumar responded to the allegation by saying that the CM and his administration should either perform or face an election. He alleged that the "corrupt" BJP government and its officials are responsible for the current situation.
The city has declared holidays for students and companies have asked employees to work from their homes. Those who ventured out on the roads were seen either stuck with their two-wheelers or struggling to navigate. Several places in the city have knee-deep water.
Bommai said that his government is working on restoring normalcy after unprecedented rainfall and overflowing water bodies. He noted that his government has now allocated Rs 1,500 crore for developing stormwater drains.
He added that only two zones in the city have been affected by the flood but the picture is being portrayed as if the entire Bengaluru was in trouble. The Mahadevapura zone which has 69 tanks in a small area is struggling particularly after the tanks were breached. The CM said that engineers and workers and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams are working round the clock to deal with the challenges posed by rain.
Some areas in Bengaluru have received 150% more rain than normal between September 1 and 5. Mahadevapura, Bommanahalli, and K R Puram have recorded 307% excess rain. CM Bommai said this was the highest rainfall in the last 42 years and all 164 tanks in the city are filled to the brim.