Over the years, many have been washed away in drains during rain, but city agencies seem to have learnt little about monsoon preparedness.
On May 18, much after the Met department's monsoon forecast, BBMP commissioner N Manjunath Prasad said at an inspection of stormwater drains (SWDs) that at least 250 areas in Bengaluru are prone to water-logging, and work had begun at around 150. The next day, the chief minister inaugurated multiple projects worth Rs 800 crore. A few days later, construction site supervisor Shanta Kumar, 30, was washed away in a drain.
Experts say they are tired of asking the government to take up drain and other projects during summer as no heed is paid to such advice. Year after year, citizens find roads dug up in the weeks preceding rain. "Monsoon preparedness needs to be done by March-April, which never happens. Instead, money is released on an adhoc basis with low accountability at the onset of monsoon. The annual desilting exercise is often a farce. Even pothole filling is not done properly. Also, the disaster-recovery mechanism is weak - be it tree falls, overflowing drains, flooded basements or restoration of power," said V Ravichander, civic expert.
On Thursday, another team led by city development minister KJ George undertook an inspection. Mayor G Padmavathi, the BBMP chief and a battery of officials accompanied George. Although this is a regular inspection the mayor and BBMP officials conduct, two projects being executed in areas prone to flooding — Kalasipalya and Kino Theatre - were reviewed.
The team began the inspection with Church Street, with George giving an assurance that TenderSure work will be over by August. If not, he would be personally answerable, the minister said. The officials inaugurated a Rs 10-crore developmental project at Kalasipalya market, which will include replacing old rainwater pipes, desilting of drains, construction of a compound wall and gate, and building of three toilet blocks. The inspection ended near the Kino Theatre bridge, where work on a Rs 3-crore stormwater disposal drain was under way.
"This water will be diverted to the nearby stormwater drain. So far, we have installed an 800-metre sanitary pipe. The work should be completed in a month," George said. He added that the wages of pourakarmikas will be fixed between Rs 17,000 and Rs 8,000 and that BBMP will compensate the family of Shanta Kumar.
The multiple projects that Siddaramaiah inaugurated on May 19, the TenderSure project on Church Street and pipe-laying in Jogupalya in Ulsoor are some examples of works which will be affected by rain.
Stating that he has instructed contractors implementing TenderSure projects to work in three shifts and expedite the process, George said: "BBMP has taken up 200 TenderSure projects so this kind of delay is expected."
Speaking on the Church Street project, BBMP chief engineer (major roads) KT Nagaraj, pointed out: "Most of the landowners and commercial establishments had connected their sewage pipes to the roadside drain. We asked them to connect the pipes to the main sewage drain instead."
Sewage, he said, is flowing on either sides of the road and delaying the work. "The houses and establishments on the first 400 metres of the road have done the needful. However, we have to start sending notices to those on the remaining 350-metre stretch," he said.
George said notices should be sent to the other commercial establishments as soon as possible, and action must be initiated if they do not cooperate in a week of receiving the notice.
On May 18, much after the Met department's monsoon forecast, BBMP commissioner N Manjunath Prasad said at an inspection of stormwater drains (SWDs) that at least 250 areas in Bengaluru are prone to water-logging, and work had begun at around 150. The next day, the chief minister inaugurated multiple projects worth Rs 800 crore. A few days later, construction site supervisor Shanta Kumar, 30, was washed away in a drain.
Experts say they are tired of asking the government to take up drain and other projects during summer as no heed is paid to such advice. Year after year, citizens find roads dug up in the weeks preceding rain. "Monsoon preparedness needs to be done by March-April, which never happens. Instead, money is released on an adhoc basis with low accountability at the onset of monsoon. The annual desilting exercise is often a farce. Even pothole filling is not done properly. Also, the disaster-recovery mechanism is weak - be it tree falls, overflowing drains, flooded basements or restoration of power," said V Ravichander, civic expert.
On Thursday, another team led by city development minister KJ George undertook an inspection. Mayor G Padmavathi, the BBMP chief and a battery of officials accompanied George. Although this is a regular inspection the mayor and BBMP officials conduct, two projects being executed in areas prone to flooding — Kalasipalya and Kino Theatre - were reviewed.
The team began the inspection with Church Street, with George giving an assurance that TenderSure work will be over by August. If not, he would be personally answerable, the minister said. The officials inaugurated a Rs 10-crore developmental project at Kalasipalya market, which will include replacing old rainwater pipes, desilting of drains, construction of a compound wall and gate, and building of three toilet blocks. The inspection ended near the Kino Theatre bridge, where work on a Rs 3-crore stormwater disposal drain was under way.
"This water will be diverted to the nearby stormwater drain. So far, we have installed an 800-metre sanitary pipe. The work should be completed in a month," George said. He added that the wages of pourakarmikas will be fixed between Rs 17,000 and Rs 8,000 and that BBMP will compensate the family of Shanta Kumar.
The multiple projects that Siddaramaiah inaugurated on May 19, the TenderSure project on Church Street and pipe-laying in Jogupalya in Ulsoor are some examples of works which will be affected by rain.
Stating that he has instructed contractors implementing TenderSure projects to work in three shifts and expedite the process, George said: "BBMP has taken up 200 TenderSure projects so this kind of delay is expected."
Speaking on the Church Street project, BBMP chief engineer (major roads) KT Nagaraj, pointed out: "Most of the landowners and commercial establishments had connected their sewage pipes to the roadside drain. We asked them to connect the pipes to the main sewage drain instead."
Sewage, he said, is flowing on either sides of the road and delaying the work. "The houses and establishments on the first 400 metres of the road have done the needful. However, we have to start sending notices to those on the remaining 350-metre stretch," he said.
George said notices should be sent to the other commercial establishments as soon as possible, and action must be initiated if they do not cooperate in a week of receiving the notice.