Trees fall like nine pins, roads flooded in Bangalore

Two persons were injured and as many as eight trees uprooted in various parts of the city due to heavy downpour,  which disrupted traffic flow on Friday.

The incidents were reported in Malleswaram, Vijayanagar, Srinagar and, Palace Road. The prahari teams of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike sprung into action to clear the fallen trees.

A huge tree was uprooted near Cauvery junction on Bellary Road, disrupting traffic for over an hour. A prahari team rushed to the spot and cleared the road.

An old house in JJ Nagar crashed in the downpour. No injuries were reported.

Rumours of child's death
Chaos prevailed as rumours started doing the rounds that a three-year-old child had been washed way in Guddadahalli on Mysore Road.

Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike commissioner Siddaiah, however, said that there was no official confirmation on the report.
In JJR Nagar, the compound wall of the ETA spa collapsed on neighbouring houses, injuring two persons.

The 20-feet long compound wall collapsed on three houses adjacent to it. Balaraj, 48, and his wife, Lilly, 35, who were in their house, suffered injuries.

Lilly said she was preparing chapatis and her husband was watching TV when the wall collapsed on their house around 6 pm. A fridge was damaged in another house in the same incident.

Fire tenders in action
In an unusual practice, three fire tenders were pressed into service to flush out water that inundated the city roads.
Fire tenders were sent to 5th Block in Rajajinagar and DJ Halli where cars were partiallu submerged, according to sources in the fire department. A secretary from the municipal department summoned the services of fire brigade to Benson Town.

Storm waterenters houses
Storm water mixed with sewerage entered the houses in low lying areas like Ejipura, Bhadrappa Layout, Nayandahalli, Jagajeevanaramnagar and Padarayanapura forcing residents to move out. People in these areas had harrowing experience in flushing out water. Jeevanbhimanagar, Moodalapalya, LG Layout, Koramangala, Magadi Road and Nagendra Block were also affected due to the storm water flooding.

"We had to engage private players to pump out the water from our houses. Though BBMP has been spending crores of rupees for remodeling of storm water drains, people are still suffering from the flooding problem. Flooding and loss of lives in Bangalore has become an annual affair," said M Kumar, a resident.

Traffic out of gear
Traffic on major arterial and sub-arterial roads like Mysore Road, Old and New Airport roads and Hosur Road came to grinding halt as people returning home were caught in the middle of the road. Motorists were the worst affected.

Even traffic police personnel looked helpless as they struggled to manage the traffic. Many vehicles, especially autorickshaws, broke down in the middle of the roads, adding to the chaotic situation.
A couple of cars were stuck in the rain at Okalipuram and Tannery Road Railway Bridge. Even Cubbon Park police station on Kasturba Road was flooded.

Commuters and hawkers had no escape from the flooding as Majestic and City Market was completely flooded. Incomplete pedestrian underpass work at City Market and metro work at Majestic worsened the situation.

Hawkers suffered losses as storm water washed away their wares, said Shekar S, a witness.

Residents blame encroachment
Residents said that encroachment of canals diverted rainwater into their houses. “The rainwater has also entered into a number of houses in Munehswaranagar, DJ Halli and Kushalanagar. The residents have nowhere to go and are taking shelter in the nearby government schools and buildings," Shekar said.