The massive flooding in parts of Bengaluru, particularly the information technology corridor and arterial roads, was blamed on such encroachment.
The money spent by the cities for flood is often far less than needed and since the buy-in from the public is weak, the effectiveness of the projects is shallow
In a Q&A, Baldev Prakash said the lender will also target Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Pune and Mohali through tie-ups, and hold campaigns for retail asset/liability products in order to improve its CASA
The torrential rain in the city that flooded the houses and offices of tech honchos and turned roads into rivers of sorts could not fill most lakes, thanks to the land mafia who turned the feeder canals of these water bodies into a sewerage drain and diverted their flow, environmentalists said. This mischief by the land sharks in connivance with some vested interests in various civic agencies and in the government led to the death of lakes in the city, Leo Saldanha, coordinator of Environment Support Group alleged. Benglauru, which the British rulers had called as a 'City of thousand lakes' for having over 1,600 lakes, has about 400 water bodies today in the Bengaluru metropolitan region. "Those lakes which disappeared gave way for residential layouts, bus stands, bus terminals and tech parks. Sadly, those 400 lakes are also on the verge of destruction," Saldanha told PTI. Citing the example of Subrahmanyapura Lake in South Bengaluru, he said it has reduced to a cesspool and is cho
With torrential rains in Bengaluru exposing its infrastructure woes, sitting legislators from the city and their political parties seem to be a worried lot over the electoral prospects, amid fears of anti-incumbency and public angst turning against them. Assembly polls are barely seven months away, and elections to the city civic body the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) are expected later this year. The downpour and deluge caused by it resulted in large-scale destruction and misery, affecting the normal life of people, with some complaining that the "brand Bengaluru" has taking a hit. The famed IT industry bore the brunt of the rain fury; there seems to be palpable anger among a section of citizens who felt let down by the political class during the crisis. According to some political observers and party insiders, this fear seems to be more within the ruling BJP, as the state government is being directly held responsible for the mess, in the absence of the city civic body
Akasa Air inaugurated its first flight from Chennai, the fifth city in its network, enabling the airline to offer twice-daily flights in each direction on the Chennai-Bengaluru route
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Friday said the Centre would study introducing skybuses and build flyovers to decongest roads in Bengaluru. It is difficult to widen the existing roads in Bengaluru. So, we have taken two decisions. We will not acquire land but we will build three-deck or grade separators as was done in Chennai, Gadkari told reporters. He has been here for the last two days attending a programme Manthan', a session on improving road infrastructure and mobility. Ministers and government officials of the Centre and the State attended the session. We are working on public transport on electricity. Technology has changed a lot. It's difficult to acquire land in Bengaluru. So, I suggested the use of skybus like in the Philippines and other countries, the Union Minister said. Gadkari said he has directed the officials of the National Highway Authority of India to consult experts in the world to study the condition in Bengaluru and find one
Industry players said that only 20-30 per cent people were back in offices
The flood situation remained grim in certain parts of north Karnataka following torrential rains. Many rivers, rivulets and streams were in spate on Friday as water was released from the Tungabhadra Dam, sources said. According to sources, water-level rose in Hirehalla rivulet, trapping five farmers on an island in Koluru village. The farmers had gone to remove the pump-set when suddenly the water-level increased and they got marooned. Soon, the others informed the police, which sent a team from the fire and emergency services. The team rescued the five and brought them to the safety. In Vijayapura district, a bridge was washed away and some villagers went there after learning that it had developed cracks and may not withstand the flow in the Sogli rivulet. The bridge was connecting Sogli with Mookihal in Taalikote Taluk. Reports said onions grown in a large swathe of land in the Bagalkote district were washed away due to floods. In Yadgir, farmers got emotional before the ...
Grocery delivery app Dunzo has stopped services in the parts of Bengaluru that have been affected by the flood, according to residents in the city and posts on social media. Reliance Retail-backed quick commerce Dunzo promises to deliver orders on Dunzo Daily in 19 minutes and the service is available in eight cities, including Bengaluru. "Dunzo has been down since Wednesday. They are not accepting orders," an employee of a well-known company, who did not wish to be identified, said. Social media accounts claiming to be from Bengaluru posted a screenshot of the app which mentioned "Dunzo Daily will be back in a while". When contacted, a Dunzo spokesperson said, "The efforts of our delivery partners have been instrumental in reducing the havoc caused by heavy rains. To ensure their safety, we paused deliveries in areas with excessive water logging." The spokesperson said that in cases where orders get delayed due to rains, the company keeps its customers informed, prioritising part
The Minister underscored the importance of an integrated approach with multi-modal transportation being at the core if India has to become a five trillion dollar economy
Forecast of more rains and overcast skies since early Thursday morning with slight drizzle has caused worry among citizens of rain-battered Bengaluru, who were preparing to get back to routine, after some respite the previous day and water level in flooded areas receding slowly. Residents of localities and apartments that were inundated are making attempts to drain out water and remove sludge from their houses and basements. Some badly affected areas continued to remain in darkness without power supply and non-availability of drinking water, even as officials maintained that efforts were on to restore supply by repairing the damages. While waterlogging on roads in most parts of the city are by and large clear, making way for easy movement of vehicles, some stretches along the Outer Ring Road and Marathahalli and nearby areas are said to be still facing some issues with vehicular movement with water still on roads. Also, potholes continue to haunt city's motorists, especially ...
Technology companies, which bore the brunt of recent flood due to heavy rains in the city, on Wednesday aired their grievances before Karnataka IT/BT Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, urging him to find a solution to the rain-related woes. At a meeting convened by Narayan to discuss the problems caused by the unprecedented rainfall, the representatives of several IT companies said their primary concern was to bring to the notice of the government the miseries they faced and the losses incurred. In reply, the Minister assured them that the state government will help find a permanent solution to the infrastructural issues in the Mahadevpura zone, which witnessed water-logging, by next year. Narayan also sought the cooperation of tech companies to retain the status of 'Bangalore Brand'. A virtual meeting will be conducted every month from now on to resolve the grievances of entrepreneurs, a statement issued by the office of the Minister. He also said that the government will examine ..
As many as 147 unicorns worldwide saw their valuations drop in the last six months
While flood waters receded in some parts of Bengaluru on Wednesday, the worst is not over for IT capital yet, with the weather bureau predicting heavy rainfall over south interior Karnataka, including the city, for the next two days. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is predicted over a few places in coastal and south interior Karnataka on September 8-9 and interior Karnataka on September 9-10, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). "A cyclonic circulation lies over interior Karnataka and neighbourhood. A trough runs from cyclonic circulation over east-central and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal to north Kerala across Rayalaseema and south interior Karnataka," it said. While experts have attributed the flooding in IT capital to encroachments on the stormwater drain and water bodies which impede the flow of rainwater, excess rain has also played its part. According to IMD data, the Bengaluru City observatory recorded 251.4 mm of rainfall in the last four days, includin
The deluge in Bengaluru has led to a spike in demand for hotel rooms and a surge in room tariffs in some hotels as people escape waterlogged homes. Most hotels in the city already had a very high occupancy before parts of Bengaluru got marooned and current high rates were not a direct consequence of the floods, said industry players. When contacted, an OYO spokesperson said: "The average tariff for OYOs in Bangalore currently stands a little over Rs 1,000, making OYO an affordable and easily accessible stay option for flood affected people in the city. Our 'Nearby stays' option and 'Pay at hotel' facility makes booking an OYO easy for the rain drenched Bangaloreans looking for hotels. We hope to support as many Bangaloreans with quality stays during this challenging time for the city." At Leela Palace Bengaluru, a staff said the pricing has always been dynamic based on occupancy and demand. At present the existing rate for a standard double room for a night is Rs 15,750 plus taxes p
Tractor is the new buzz word trending in the high-tech circles of the city
Information technology industry veteran T V Mohandas Pai has said the havoc caused in Bengaluru due to heavy rains was a result of multiple factors, including bad governance, high corruption and lack of urban reforms. Both political leaders and bureaucrats have failed the citizens, the former Chief Financial Officer of IT major Infosys Ltd said on the floods in parts of Bengaluru following two days of torrential rains. "...result of ineffective government, bad governance and high corruption. Money is allocated and largely shoddy work due to high corruption, lack of capability in the corporation, illegal construction, the list goes on," Pai told PTI. It also shows lack of urban reforms across all our cities over the last 30 years, he added.
As Bengaluru grapples with unprecedented floods due to heavy rainfall, a political slugfest has begun between the Congress and the ruling BJP, blaming each other for the deteriorating conditions