Bengaluru Central MP urges companies to declare two-day work-from-home due to rains

Many roads and low-lying areas were inundated due to the downpour. Tree falls and severe traffic snarls added to the chaos.

A 35-year-old woman died after a wall collapsed due to heavy rain in Whitefield. In another incident, a 63-year-old man and a 12-year-old child were electrocuted while draining water using a motor pump, which caused a short circuit.

In Manyata Tech Park, one of the worst-hit areas, several employees switched to working from home on May 19. Other key IT corridors such as Outer Ring Road, Whitefield, Hosur Road, Electronics City, and Sarjapur also witnessed severe flooding and traffic congestion.

Some companies have already communicated this to employees. "Considering the ongoing rain situation in Bengaluru, we recommend working from home tomorrow to ensure safety and avoid travel disruptions," reads a message from a private firm to its employees on Outer Ring Road.

With Bengaluru’s infrastructure crumbling under the weight of the rains, many tech workers took to social media demanding work-from-home flexibility. Weather watcher West Coast Weatherman (@RainTracker) warned on X: “Let me put it out loud and clear for Bengaluru folks. Stay off the roads for the next 3 days and opt for work from home if possible. High chances of continued heavy rainfall which could lead to substantial floods.”

While the Karnataka government had issued a work-from-home advisory for October 16, 2024, during a similar episode of heavy rains, no such directive has been issued so far this week. Neither the state government nor associations like the Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) have made an official advisory, leaving individual companies to assess the situation and decide accordingly. “Due to the heavy rains in Bengaluru, many roads are waterlogged, making it difficult and unsafe for employees to commute. Unfortunately, several companies are not providing the option to work from home,” one user wrote on X.

Another post read: “Bengaluru government makes sure all of their working citizens struggle to work because of the rains. The road to the office is waterlogged, and we can’t work from home either due to power cuts.”

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