Dizzying, windy rain showers with thunderstorms, lightning and gusts of wind had resulted in considerable damage in Bengaluru, including metro services and caused major disruption of traffic on Tuesday evening in multiple parts of the city. The rain in an overnight shift caused waterlogging, clogging of traffic and huge inconvenience on the commute to and fro returning back from work.
One of the most severe disruptions was caused by the impact of the rain on the Purple Line of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited after a tree branch was reported to have fallen on the metro line running from ITPL to Sathya Sai Hospital. Metro services in the affected stretch were halted temporarily following the incident as in order to alleviate the problem.
Officials said that metro operations at the station between Whitefield and Garudacharpalya have been suspended since about 6 p.m. because of the obstruction on the track. At present, only Garudacharpalya and Challaghatta stations on the Purple Line are utilising the metro services.
Tens of thousands of commuters were stranded inside metro stations during late-night rush hour, and the disruption brought large numbers of people together in massive numbers. The riders were viewed nervously waiting for news all day, with a multitude of people unable to rush or find other transport during inclement rain and traffic blocks.
Emergency maintenance crews were called into action to remove any fallen tree branches from the track, BMRCL officials said. The authorities assured passengers that restoration work is in progress. Once safety checks are conducted, the metro service will once again open.
However, the rains were not restricted to metro services alone. Waterlogging and heavy rainwater congestion on major highways in Bengaluru have resulted in heavy traffic jams. The areas, such as Majestic, Shantinagar, Jayanagar, JP Nagar, Vasanthanagar, KR Market, Banashankari, Konanakunte, Yelahanka and Hebbal were subjected to heavy rainfall along with fierce winds and lightning. Heavy rains were also reported from Sadashivanagar, Rajajinagar, Vijayanagar, Laggere, Chandra Layout, Indiranagar, Nandini Layout, Girinagar, Mahalakshmi Layout, Subramanyanagar, Nagarabhavi, Moodalapalya and Basavanagudi.
Longer delays on several major roads took place as the accumulation of water caused traffic bottlenecks across the city. Flooded stretches inundated office-goers and daily commuters, while the rainwater hit two-wheelers and smaller vehicles especially hard. The KR Circle underpass was then closed as a precaution after heavy rainfall had occurred.
The underpass is not infrequently waterlogged in moderate rain, prompting traffic police to barricade the area for reasons of accidents and vehicle trapping incidents. Civic authorities and traffic police units have been deployed at vulnerable locations and are monitoring and controlling the movements of vehicles. Officials urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel during heavy rain and warned motorists to drive cautiously.
The most recent rain hit as Bengaluru’s repeated urban flooding and drainage woes were once again on display. Neighbours posted images of flooded roads, crowded metro stations and traffic jams on their social media accounts to show their anger over the city’s infrastructure issues as monsoons hit.
Monsoon conditions may continue to bring moderate and heavy rains over Bengaluru and many other areas of Karnataka over the next few days, according to forecasts from weather experts. As rain is still hitting the Silicon City, commuters want to see the metro infrastructure brought back online as fast as possible and better managed to relieve the increasing hardship for Bengaluru’s residents.
