The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Ministers inspect rain-hit areas

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Monday, Jun 02, 2008
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Karnataka - Bangalore

Ministers inspect rain-hit areas

Staff Reporter

‘BBMP efforts in taking up pre-monsoon work have helped a great deal’

— Photos: Sampath Kumar G.P. and K. Murali Kumar

MONSOON WOES: (Top) Ministers Suresh Kumar and Ashok Kumar carrying out inspection at Yellappa Garden in Bangalore on Sunday, and (above) a damaged car.

Bangalore: Ministers R. Ashok and Suresh Kumar on Sunday visited the rain-affected areas in the city. They were accompanied by senior officials of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), including BBMP Commissioner S. Subramanya.

Mr. Ashok told The Hindu that the retaining wall of a storm water drain near Papaiah Garden had collapsed. “I have directed the BBMP to take up repair works immediately. As many as 16 areas in the city were flooded in the heavy rain on Sunday. The BBMP officials have been instructed to prevent further flooding,” he said.

He claimed that the BBMP’s efforts in taking up pre-monsoon works earlier this year had helped a great deal. “The number of flooding and uprooting of trees reported this year has reduced dramatically. This is due to the improvement works taken up by the BBMP last year and this year,” he said.

He also said that he had directed the officials to form a team of 30 members in each of the eight zones of the BBMP. “In each of the zones, an assistant executive engineer will be in-charge and will be available for the public round the clock,” he said.

He said that the BBMP had demolished unauthorised constructions on drains and raja kaluve, raised and strengthened the retaining walls of storm water drains, cleared the drains. “A control room will be set up to receive rain-related complaints and will be accessible 24 hours of the day. If more flooding cases are reported, I have resolved to sit in the control room myself along with Mr. Suresh Kumar, and personally attend to the people’s problems,” he said.

Mr. Ashok also said that once a citizen places a complaint with the control room, the BBMP officials have been directed to attend to it within an hour. “I have also instructed the BBMP officers to visit the spot and report back after the complaint has been attended to. We are in a much better position than we were last year, when more cases had been reported. However, I will not be at peace till the monsoon is over,” he added.

He said that he met senior officials of the BBMP to discuss steps to be taken up during the monsoon.

Trees uprooted

With another spell of heavy rainfall, more than a dozen cases of uprooting of trees were reported in the city. The BBMP control rooms also received two complaints of flooding.

Officials at the BBMP control rooms told The Hindu that trees were uprooted and branches had fallen at the Raman Research Institute in Sadashivanagar, 12th Main and 14th Main in Indiranagar 2nd Stage, 13th Main in RMV 2nd Stage, 14th Cross, 15th Cross and 16th Cross in 4th Block of Nandini Layout, 16th A Main in Jayanagar 4th T Block, Sirsi Road in Chamarajpet, 7th Main in Srinivasnagar, and 13th Main in Vijayanagar.

In Sadashivanagar, a gulmohar tree fell on a car. However, no one was injured. Car owner T. Sriram said that the car has been damaged beyond repair. “It has been flattened almost. The car was parked outside our residence and the tree fell at around 5.30 p.m. when the rain had stopped,” he said.

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