Bengaluru: Heavy rain brought relief from Bengaluru’s dry spell Tuesday, but waterlogging disrupted normal life in several parts of the city through the night and into Wednesday.Barely 200 metres from Commercial Street in Shivajinagar, residents and traders were inconvenienced after a stretch of Kamaraj Road, between Veera Pillai Street and Nala Road, was flooded.Traders said the problem at the spot has worsened since the road was redeveloped under the Smart City project, with changes to the drainage system allegedly affecting the flow of rainwater.Kamaraj Road intersects a major stormwater drain leading to Ulsoor Lake here and improper drainage of rainwater led to waterlogging. “When we came to open the shop in the morning, we saw water had reached inside some shops,” Sanaulla, an iron and steel dealer, told TOI.“However, assistant executive engineer Savitri attended to the issue and got everything cleared early in the morning,” he added.“We had closed the shop and had headed home when the downpour started Tuesday night. The authorities got waterlogging cleared by 7.30am Wednesday,” Ataulla, another trader, said.Bengaluru Central City Corporation took up redevelopment of the culvert of the drain passing below Kamaraj Road at this spot over three months ago. Traders said they were told the work would take two months for completion, but has overshot the deadline by more than a month.“Along with redevelopment, authorities must desilt the drain and remove garbage blocking the flow of water. I have been here for over 40 years, and such works need better planning. Regular maintenance of the drain and surrounding roads cannot be neglected,” said Raju, a Kamaraj Road trader.Sanaulla said his family has been running the business for over 50 years. While waterlogging at the spot was not uncommon, he said the problem worsened after the road was redeveloped under the Smart City project.“Under the project, roadside drains were closed and an underground stormwater drain was built along the middle of the road. Poor planning may have worsened rainwater drainage,” he said.When TOI visited, the stormwater drain was found clogged with domestic and textile waste, along with construction debris. Civic authorities said they had taken up unclogging work. However, residents and traders said the roads continued to be covered in slush and muck.
