Siddaramaiah to visit Bengaluru today to take stock of situation

CHief government minister Siddaramaiah on mon visited select locations in the urban center unnatural by the overnight rainfall and proclaimed that he would undertake a full-day city-wide inspection on Tuesday, along with deputy CM DK Shivakumar and legislators from Bengaluru.“Considering that traffic congestion increases in the evening and could cause inconvenience to the public, only a few locations were visited today. Tomorrow, a full-day city tour will be undertaken along with the Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru legislators,” Siddaramaiah said.“Sensitive areas will be visited, grievances of the people will be heard, the work done by officials will be reviewed, and necessary instructions will be issued,’ he told reporters after visiting some of the affected areas.Highlighting the city’s stormwater drain infrastructure, he said, “In the city, stormwater drains have been encroached upon, drains are shallow and narrow, and filled with silt. The BBMP has been instructed several times to clear these, and works are still ongoing. There are 859.90 km of stormwater drains. So far, retaining walls have been built for 491 km.””Work is underway to build retaining walls along another 195 km. Work on 173 km of drains is being taken up with support from the World Bank. Drain work is progressing. Without stormwater drains, it is difficult to prevent waterlogging on roads,” he added.According to the chief minister, “About 210 low-lying areas in Bengaluru have been identified as sensitive and highly sensitive. Of these, works in 166 areas have been taken up. Temporary measures have been implemented in the remaining 44 locations. Out of these, 24 works are in progress. Once completed, this problem will be significantly reduced.”He also announced financial compensation for a rain-related death: “A woman has died in Whitefield. A compensation of ₹5 lakh will be provided by the government.”Regarding traffic and drainage issues flagged by traffic police, Siddaramaiah said, “Traffic police have identified 132 locations. Of these, works in 82 locations are complete, and 41 works are pending. This year, drain-related works across the entire city have been taken up.”On clearing fallen trees, the CM said: “There are dedicated teams to remove trees immediately. Work will be taken up in a way that does not inconvenience the public.”Speaking about encroachments, he added, “4,292 encroachments have been identified. Of these, 2,326 have been cleared. Instructions have been given to ensure that further encroachments do not take place.”“Heavy rainfall was recorded near Silk Board Junction and Hebbal Junction. Railways have been tasked with ensuring proper water flow in these locations,” Shivakumar told reporters.