The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Rainy start to weekend

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Friday, Aug 15, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Rainy start to weekend

Anil Kumar Sastry

Bags packed, Bangaloreans head out of the city

Arterial roads around Majestic were choked
Traffic police left exasperated in the rain

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

GRIDLOCK: Vehicles caught in the traffic jam on Palace Cross Road in Bangalore on Thursday.

BANGALORE: Heavy showers that pounded the city for more than three hours on Thursday evening dampened the spirit of thousands of people who planned their holiday trips to enjoy the extended weekend.

Anticipating the rush in Majestic area, many left home early to ensure that they did not miss their train or bus.

However, what started as a light drizzle at around 5.30 p.m. soon grew into a downpour till 8.30 p.m. forcing people to run for cover.

Thus the rain impact compounded the weekend rush in and around Majestic. Arterial roads around Majestic were choked with vehicles. The traffic police, though in full strength, were exasperated.

The traffic pile up was so severe that many people were unable to make it to the bus stand and railway station in time.

Monsoon glory

With the monsoon in full glory in coastal and Malnad regions, many nature lovers are heading towards Mangalore, Udupi, Chikmaglur and certainly Shimoga. Others are taking the road less travelled, towards Uttara Kannada where a number of waterfalls – big and small – have come alive.

Jagadish Chandra, a software engineer, plans to visit Jog Falls and Unchalli Falls near Sirsi. “I am driving down to Jog and from there to Unchalli. These two places are not far away and I have the luxury of witnessing two massive waterfalls, one created by the Sharavathi and the other by the Aghanashini,” he said.

On the other hand, many from neighbouring States who stay in Bangalore are planning to go to their native places. Srikumar, a finance professional, said he was visiting parents at Kottayam. Those who wanted to go to Sringeri rescheduled their plans as the town remained cut off from other parts because of a swollen Tunga for the last three days.

Extra buses

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is deploying over 350 additional buses to cater to the extra rush. Director (Operations) K.A. Rajkumar told The Hindu that additional buses would be operated from Kempe Gowda Bus Station (Majestic), Shanthinagar Terminal and Mysore Road Terminal.

On a normal day, over 2,800 KSRTC buses leave Kempe Gowda Bus Station.

A majority of these services are destined to outstation locations, including Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Kochi and other places.

Additional buses to places like Dharmasthala, Kukke Subramanya, Shimoga, Mangalore, Sringeri, Hubli and Belgaum will be operated.

Seats in all buses were booked nearly a week ago.

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