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Bengaluru rains: Holidays declared for schools in urban district till 17 October

Bengaluru Urban District Collector Jagadeesha declared holidays for schools and colleges on 16 and 17 October due to heavy rains and an orange alert, but not for degree and postgraduate students.

South First Desk

Published Oct 15, 2024 | 1:02 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 15, 2024 | 6:25 PM

Bengaluru rains

Bengaluru rains. (Supplied)

Heavy rains have been lashing Bengaluru since the early hours of Tuesday, 15 October, inundating roads and causing disruptions in the traffic flow.

Bengaluru Urban DC Jagadeesha has declared holidays for all the schools for two days due to heavy rains & orange alert issued by the IMD. 16 and 17 October have been declared as holidays for schools in Bengaluru Urban district.

However, the Bengaluru DC has not declared holidays for degree, engineering, ITI, diploma and postgraduate students.

Areas like Basavanagudi, Chamarajpete, Kengeri, RR Nagar, Shantinagar, Shivajinagar, Yeshvathapur, Malleswaram, Bellandur and other localities are reporting heavy showers.

The heavy showers have caused traffic jams in multiple areas, leading to several IT companies announcing work-from-home. The rains have also led to waterlogged roads and hazardous driving conditions.

Motorists are finding it difficult to navigate the city, with many routes becoming impassable and delays becoming commonplace.

Bengaluru Traffic Police have issued advisories for various areas affected by traffic congestion, including Mahadevapura, Marathahalli, Seshadripuram, Hunasemaranahalli, Hebbal flyover, Outer Ring Road, and Bannerghatta Road, as heavy rains caused road inundation.

BBMP clearing the roads

Meanwhile, BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath directed officials in each zone to be fully prepared and carry out their duties vigilantly.

Addressing a virtual meeting held on Tuesday, regarding various issues within the BBMP limits, the commissioner mentioned that in view of the continuous rains, all officials must work cautiously.

According to a press release from the meeting, he said, “Necessary actions should be taken to ensure no problems arise anywhere. Close monitoring is required near flood-prone areas, and if there is any possibility of an issue, arrangements must be made to immediately evacuate local residents to safe locations.”

Tushar Girinath further instructed the road infrastructure division officials to inspect all major roads and take appropriate measures to prevent water from stagnating, “In collaboration with the municipal staff, the officials must clear debris near the gratings and ensure the smooth flow of rainwater into the side drains.”

Also Read:  Tamil Nadu declares holiday for schools in 4 districts marred by rains

‘Officials should respond promptly’

The commissioner also instructed the officials to promptly respond to citizens’ issues like waterlogging, flooding, and fallen trees, “Officials are directed to ensure that stormwater drains allow the smooth flow of water and to take appropriate actions to prevent any issues.”

According to the release, eight control rooms are operating in eight zones across the city, with an additional central control room at the BBMP headquarters.

Citizens facing any issues due to the rain can call the BBMP’s toll-free helpline number 1533 to register their complaints. These complaints will be forwarded to the relevant zone and officials, and the issues will be resolved promptly.

Meanwhile, the BBMP disaster management team has successfully cleared waterlogging beneath the Hebbal flyover, allowing vehicles to move freely.

However, heavy rains have caused tree branches to fall in areas like Syndicate Bank Colony, Banashankari.

According to the IMD, from 8.30 am on Monday, 14 October, to 8.30 am on Tuesday, 15 October, Hampi Nagar in Bengaluru received the highest rain of 26 mm.

Heavy rains in Karnataka

Apart from Bengaluru, the rest of the state also is experiencing heavy rains. According to the IMD, there is a possibility of heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds in the coastal and Malnad districts of the state on 17 October. An orange alert has been issued by the IMD.

In the southern interior districts, there is a possibility of heavy rainfall with thunderstorms and strong winds until 17 October.

For the northern interior districts, heavy rainfall with thunderstorms and strong winds is also likely until 17 October, with reduced rainfall anticipated in the subsequent days.

Dakshina Kannada, Mangaluru taluk received 82.5 mm rain making it the highest in the state in the last 24 hours.

Also Read:  Four die as heavy rains lash Tamil Nadu

Minister for Revenue, Former Agriculture, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister, Krishna Byre Gowda took to ‘x’ to inform the redeployment of about 60 NDRF/SDRF personnel to Bengaluru to be on stand by for any necessity.


(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula, with inputs from Mahesh G and Nolan Patrick Pinto)

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