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As Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar visited Bengaluru’s rain-ravaged Silk Board Junction on May 21, they were met with anger, despair, and a sense of abandonment.
For the residents of Silk Board and neighbouring areas, the devastation brought on by the torrential rains that began on May 19 was not a one-off crisis. It was a recurring nightmare—one that returns every monsoon, exposing the city’s crumbling infrastructure and official apathy. The rains, measuring 105.5 mm in just 24 hours, inundated homes, submerged streets, and brought life to a standstill.
Silk Board was among the worst-affected localities, but it is far from alone. TNM reporters, who visited Electronic City flyover, Bannerghatta Road, BTM Layout, and Devarachikannahalli, found similar scenes of chaos, fear, and hopelessness. In each area, residents spoke of years of inaction, of living in fear every time dark clouds gather.
Suri, who has been running a tea stall at Silk Board for the past 25 years lamented that every year they are facing the same ordeal. The flooding caused by the rains has severely affected his livelihood. “Yesterday, the water reached our knees. It has subsided now, but the junction always floods on the day it rains and vehicles cannot pass.” He complained that his shop gets flooded each time it rains.
The civic body, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has come under sharp criticism from residents for what they called an annual ritual of negligence. From blocked drains to failed desilting, residents said every year ends with empty assurances and every monsoon begins with flooding.
Firoz, a resident of BTM Layout, pointed to the rain-soaked, sewage-filled ruins of what was once his garage and garden. Expressing frustration over the poor construction of the drainage system, he said that the drinking water sump has been contaminated with the dirty sewage water. “I pay my taxes on time, availing the rebates, and yet this is the treatment we receive.”
He also blamed the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) for the crisis. According to him the flood situation has worsened due to the positioning of the BMRCL pillars. “The pillars in this area should have been directed towards BTM 2nd Stage, where the drainage system is significantly better. Instead, all the water flows into BTM 1st Stage, completely flooding the area.”
Amid growing frustrations, politicians from the opposition party visited the area on May 20 and blamed the ruling Congress party for the floods. “There is no food, no medicine for the people who are affected. They (Congress) have been in power for so long, and yet all of this has happened because of their negligence,” BJP leader R Ashoka said. He was accompanied by Chalavadi Narayanaswamy.
Chalavadi Narayanaswamy echoed the criticism, stating that the government had failed to provide even basic support during such a disaster. Both leaders demanded immediate relief measures and long-term infrastructural solutions to prevent recurrent flooding in Silk Board and surrounding areas.