Flooded roads, power outages, and now a political slugfest: Bengaluru is drowning in woes

As several parts of Karnataka’s Bengaluru reel under flooding, power outages and traffic snarls due to incessant rainfall, political parties have started pointing fingers at each other.

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has put the onus of the waterlogged southern capital on the previous Congress governments, while the grand old party has hit back.

Other parties including Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have also joined the political slugfest.

How have the Bengaluru floods triggered a political row? What is the weather prediction for Bengaluru in the coming days?

Let’s take a closer look:

Basavaraj Bommai attacks Congress

Talking to reporters in Bengaluru, Basavaraj Bommai targeted the previous Congress governments’ ‘maladministration’ in the state for its current situation. Accusing the party of “unplanned administration” in the state, Bommai alleged that the previous Congress dispensations approved construction activities “right-left-centre” in the lake areas, on the tank bunds and buffer zones.

He said they did not think of maintaining the lakes.

The Karnataka chief minister added that his government has taken up a “challenge” to improve things now and had allocated Rs 1,500 crore for development of stormwater drains, PTI reported.

Congress slams BJP government

Hitting out at the saffron party government, senior Karnataka Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah said that lakes and stormwater drainage in the city have been encroached upon. While his government had initiated a drive to clear stormwater drainage encroachment, the BJP government has failed to work in the last three-and-half years, The Times of India quoted Siddaramaiah as claiming.

Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar mocked the BJP government over flooding in the city and asked, “Has the BJP government, which boasted of making Bengaluru a world-class city with modern amenities, forgotten that now? Who built poor infrastructure in a world-class city?”

Congress leader Milind Deora said that climate change alone cannot be blamed for the flooding in Bengaluru and Mumbai.

“Flooding in Bengaluru & Mumbai cannot be attributed to climate change alone. That’s a convenient excuse peddled by those in power,” he wrote on Twitter.

Listing out possible reasons for the calamity, Deora added, “The real culprits are municipal corruption, civic apathy, unsustainable urbanisation & total disregard for urban reforms.”

Karnataka Congress leader Lavanya Ballal shared a video of BJP MP and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha national president Tejasvi Surya on Twitter in which he can be seen enjoying dosa. Ballal claimed the clip was from 5 September and questioned if Surya has visited flood-inflicted areas yet.

“Tejasvi Surya was enjoying a good breakfast while Bengaluru was drowning. Has he visited even a single flood affected region?” the Karnataka Congress spokesperson asked.

Video dated 5th September.@Tejasvi_Surya was enjoying a good breakfast while Bangalore was drowning.
Has he visited even a single flood affected region? pic.twitter.com/uFnZ4Rjs1m

— Lavanya Ballal (@LavanyaBallal) September 6, 2022

‘Friends in Hyderabad will not like’

Telangana minister and TRS working president KT Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, came out in defence of the IT hub and chided those mocking the waterlogged Begaluru, saying “no Indian city is immune to disastrous consequences of climate change”.

Addressing Union Minister for Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, KTR emphaised on the requirement of “bold reforms in urban planning and governance”.

No Indian city (including my state’s capital city) today is immune to the disastrous consequences of climate change

If India has to continue to grow, we need well-laid, concerted capital allocations of Union & State Govts combined into radical improvement in infrastructure

— KTR (@KTRTRS) September 5, 2022

Further, he said that he is aware that his tweet will not be liked by some “friends in Hyderabad” because “in the past, we were taunted by some Bengaluru leaders in similar situations.”

“But if we have to grow as a nation, we need to learn from each others’ experiences & show the might of collective will,” Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s son added.

I am aware that some of friends in Hyderabad will not like what I said

Because in the past, we were taunted by some Bengaluru leaders in similar situations

But if we have to grow as a nation, we need to learn from each others’ experiences & show the might of collective will

— KTR (@KTRTRS) September 5, 2022

AAP questions BJP over Bengaluru citizen’s death

After an 86-year-old man died of a heart attack at his house in Bengaluru’s Sarjapura road on 1 September, AAP’s Mahadevapura Assembly president, Ashok Mruthyunjaya, attacked local BJP MLA Aravind Limbavali.

“86 year old Srinivasa Ramarao dies of heart attack at his flooded house in Rainbow layout of Doddakannelli Family could not shift him to hospital immediately. ArvindLBJP who is responsible for the loss of life. Pls answer,” he asked in a tweet.

Bengaluru rains 

Unfortunately, there will be no respite from the torrential showers in the coming days in Bengaluru.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD)- Met Centre Bengaluru has forecast heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and lightning in Bengaluru Urban district until 9 September, Mint reported.

Poor infra and an unresponsive 40% Karnataka Govt have turned silicon valley into a lake!

Residents cry out for help amidst the gushing flood waters.#Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/IqYCUwCQca

— Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) September 5, 2022

Some parts of the city have received 150 per cent more rainfall than normal, while Mahadevapura, Bommanahalli and KR Puram regions witnessed 307 per cent more than normal showers from 1 to 5 September, PTI reported.

Meanwhile, Karnataka chief minister Bommai has said his government will release Rs 300 crore to tackle the flood situation in the city and restore damaged infrastructure including roads, electric poles, transformers and schools, PTI reported.

The Bommai government has also assigned Rs 1,500 crore for the construction of stormwater drains in Bengaluru.

With inputs from agencies

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