*Monsoon preparedness: Urban Development Minister, BBMP Chief Commissioner take stock of situation*
Bengaluru:
Ahead of the approaching monsoon season, Hon’ble Urban Development Minister Shri Byrathi Basavaraj and Hon’ble Chief Commissioner of BBMP Shri Gaurav Gupta visited and reviewed various places in BBMP limits, today.
The Minister and Chief Commissioner visited Hennur Main Road which had been flooded last year with 80 mm to 90 mm rain/hour and caused water-logging in sai Layout, Geddalahalli areas. They examined the situation and instructed the officials to resolve the issues immediately.
Prahlad, Chief Engineer, SWD department, informed that the water flows through Hebbal Valley to Kalkere Rampura lakes. 60 mm per hour rainfall in this valley presents no problem to the region. The issue of waterlogging occurs only if it rains more than 80 mm. To address this issue, the narrow railway bridge near Hebbal valley should be widened. The same has been conveyed to the Railway Department and permission has been granted to widen the bridge. If the bridge widening takes place, no problem will occur in the area even if it rains up to 130 mm, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Byrathi Basavaraj said that the local residents are inconvenienced due to rainwater flowing to Hebbal Valley from Sarvajnanagar, CV Raman Nagar and Hebbal. This must be addressed immediately, he said.
*Kalkere lake*
The Kalkare lake is spread across 183 acres. The wastewater treated by the STP (Waste Water Treatment Plant) by the Water Board near Horamavu is released into the lake. As a result, the lake is always full. In this regard, the Commissioner instructed the Chief Engineer of lake department Mohan Krishna, to empty two feet of water before the monsoon so that the rainwater flows without hassles into the lake.
At present, work on inlet and diversion channels at the lake is going on at the lake. 400-metre construction work out of 1,800-metre diversion channel is in progress. The Chief Commissioner instructed the authorities to take up the rest of the project on priority and complete the work immediately. He also instructed to carry out work in the rainy season without causing any obstruction for the rainwater to flow.
*Rampura lake*
The Minister and Chief Commissioner also visited the Rampura lake which is spread across 187 acres of land. Rs 35-crore has been earmarked for the construction work at the lake under Chief Minister’s Shubhra Bengaluru project. The Minister and Chief Commissioner review work is in progress. They instructed that the silt should be fully cleared and the work on diversion channels must be completed quickly.
Zonal Commissioner Shri D. Randeep, Joint Commissioner Shri Venkatachalapathi, Chief Engineer SWD department, Shri Prahlad, Chief Engineer, Lake department, Shri Mohan Krishna and other officials were present during the inspection.