BBMP vs BMRCL: Metro work causing floods, says Palike official

Every year, as the monsoon clouds gather, almost all junctions across the city, especially those on the vital Outer Ring Road (ORR) that snakes through the urban sprawl, face a common nemesis: rainwater inundation. This deluge brings traffic to a grinding halt for extended periods, leaving commuters grappling with inconvenience. The issue isn’t limited to the ORR alone; it extends its watery grip to Hosur Road as well.

Commuters, during recent Monday and Tuesday evenings, found themselves spending an agonising two to four hours navigating a mere 10-15 km. This ordeal primarily afflicted those using the ORR, Hosur Road, and Bannerghatta Road, despite these being high-density corridors expected to be impeccably maintained.

Localities including Bellandur, Eco Space, Kadubeesanahalli, Devarabisanahalli, Silk Board, Roopena Agrahara, Dairy Circle, and Kundalahalli were swamped by the recent rains, causing significant traffic slowdowns. Such conditions have prompted local law enforcement to advise avoiding these waterlogged routes.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), responsible for road maintenance, points the finger at ongoing Metro construction as the culprit behind the floods.

BS Prahlad, the engineer-in-chief of BBMP, contends that the 16 new Metro stations under construction on the ORR have disrupted the drainage system. Pillars have replaced roadside drains, leaving insufficient room for quick water runoff until Metro work is completed.

“The BMRCL is building 16 Metro stations on the ORR. The pillars have come up right in the place where the roadside drains existed. There is no scope for the water to drain off quickly until the Metro work is complete,” Prahlad told DH.

Kadubeesanahalli underpass waterlogged amid Bengaluru rainfall on Monday. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Prahlad acknowledges that inter-linkages between drains have been affected since Metro construction commenced. However, he asserts that underpasses and low-lying roads, while prone to flooding, drain off water more effectively than the ORR. In contrast, a senior Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) official rebuts the BBMP’s claims. He asserts that the BMRCL takes measures to ensure proper drainage conditions and maintains the main carriageway. Service roads along the ORR, he contends, are the BBMP’s responsibility, and the BMRCL has constructed temporary drains to mitigate any potential impact on existing ones.

“We are maintaining the main carriageway. The BBMP is supposed to maintain the service roads on the ORR. We have built temporary drains if our work is damaging the existing ones,” he said.