As heavy rains throw normal life out of gear in Bengaluru, citizens vent ire at state govt

Residents complained bitterly about Bengaluru’s crumbling infrastructure as torrential rains battered the city on Monday (October 21), flooding many areas and derailing normal life.

Many of them took to the social media to complain why the government kept taxing them more and more while failing to ensure that roads and drains remained functional during the rains.

The Bengaluru administration’s decision at 8 am on Monday to order closure of schools only added to people’s anger who demanded to know why this was not announced much earlier.

Stay indoors, cautions BBMP

After widespread inundation, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the city municipality, urged people to “stay indoors, close windows and doors and avoid travel if possible”.

One X user, Dr Rajath Athreya, a neonatologist, posted videos from the perennially busy Outer Ring Road or ORR.

“This is now on a stretch of ORR, which doesn’t usually get inundated. Anyone that does not need to be out on the roads please do not venture out,” he warned.

High on taxes, low on infra

Another user posted videos from Ring Road and complained about crumbling infrastructure in a city where everyone “pays some of the highest taxes only to deserve hazardous living conditions”.

The official handle of the Citizens Movement, East Bengaluru, also questioned the never-ending taxes imposed on citizens while giving them poor infrastructure.

“If the government can’t maintain (the now inundated) Silk Board, one of the Char Dhams of #Bengalurutraffic… why dream of imposing new taxes in Bengaluru?” the handle asked.

Schools get shut

Some residents questioned the logic behind declaring a holiday after 8 am when most school students would already be in their schools or would have been on their way.

An X user asked Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar: “Why not declare holiday in advance, at least before 6.30 am?”

Another X user posted videos from near Bellandur complaining that while it was impossible to step out of his home, his firm had refused to allow him work from home.

Yellow alert issued

The India Meteorological Department has, meanwhile, issued a yellow alert for both Bengaluru Urban and Rural for Monday.

Climate scientist Pradeep, who keeps a tab on rains in Bengaluru, observed that such morning thunderstorms in October were rare.

“Some parts of West Bengaluru crossed 60mm. However, it appears to have slightly weakened," he posted on his X page Bengaluru Rain Alert.

More rains expected

Those who ventured out faced massive traffic jams, especially near the Old Madras Road.

Karnataka Weather (@Bnglrweatherman), the X handle that tracks rain in Karnataka, has said it expected more thunderstorms on Monday.

Kirthiga Murugesan, Senior Programme Associate at the World Resources Institute India, said on her X account that heavy rains were expected in south Gujarat, Maharashtra, interiors of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.