Bengaluru Floods: Schools Shut, Streets Flooded Amid Heavy Rains; IT Minister To Meet Software Companies

The heavy rainfall and draining system in Karnataka's capital city have put people's lives on halt. The situation in parts of rain-battered Bengaluru remains the same, with houses and vehicles submerged in water. The city was affected majorly by the torrential downpour on September 5 night.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the Information Technology (IT) hub will continue to receive heavy rains this week. The water-logged streets have also made the city's traffic difficult for commuters.

Earlier this week, the city's IT companies wrote to Chief Minister (CM) Basavaraj Bommai about the city's poor infrastructure, which gets exposed every monsoon. The companies claimed they have suffered a loss of ₹ 225 crore due to rain and waterlogging in Bengaluru.

IT Minister To Meet Software Companies

The IT minister of Karnataka, CN Aswathanarayana, has called a meeting of the heads of several software companies at 5 pm on Wednesday (September 7). The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the problems caused to these companies due to heavy rains and water-logged streets that disrupted the daily life of people.

The chief secretary of the state government, Bangalore Water Authority officials, Chief Commissioner of Bruhat Mahanagar Palike, City Commissioner and other officials will attend the meeting to decide on measures to solve the civic issues.

After the city's infrastructure toppled, CM Bommai said, "I would like to tell the people of Bengaluru that everyone in BBMP is working hard. This is unprecedented rain, and the drain capacity is getting overfilled. And tanks are getting filled. This is a rare situation, and we all must work together," News18 reported.

Hotel Price Surges To Rs 40,000 Per Day

After the heavy rains, the apartments in several areas, including LB Shashtri Nagar off the Old Airport Road, are cut from electricity and water supply. More than 132 families have left the apartment and checked into hotels, while others have arranged shelter at their relatives and friends' homes.

Meanwhile, in parts of rain-battered Bengaluru, the hotel rates have surged, and the people are forced to pay around Rs 30,000 to 40,000 for a night on average, which is more than double the standard charge. The people have claimed that hotel property owners are taking advantage of the situation, and instead of giving discounts to help people, they have hiked their room rates.

The opposition has also slammed the Basavaraj Bommai-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Karnataka for failing to tackle the situation across Bengaluru. The Karnataka Congress President, DK Shivakumar, said, "The Karnataka CM and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai has the government. They should leave their power and let there be a President rule. We will come to power and solve the problem."

Also Read: 'Bengaluru Traffic Now Reaches Crisis Level': IT Companies Hint At Shifting To Another Business Location