‘Brand Bengaluru’ battered after rain: DK Shivakumar says 'issues we face today are not new'

Sai Layout, Horamavu

Bengaluru woke up to flooded roads, traffic snarls, fallen trees, power outages, submerged cars, and even boats in some areas on May 19, after overnight rain once again brought the tech capital to its knees.

As the all too familiar scene played out, citizens took to social media to vent their frustration at the city’s worsening infrastructure, the government said the problem was “inherited”.

“Let us be clear: the issues we face today are not new. They have been ignored for years across governments and administrations. The only difference now is—we are working to solve them, not with temporary fixes, but with long-term, sustainable solutions,” Karnataka deputy chief minister and Bengaluru development minister DK Shivakumar said.

“Brand Bengaluru”, which is his pet project, promised to enhance the image of the city. However, residents say nothing has changed, as the city’s infrastructure continues to crumble even though the Congress-led government has completed two years.

The civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has been without an elected council since September 2020.

Also read: 'Brand Bengaluru' caught between DK Shivakumar’s vanity projects and city's crumbling infra

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the city received 105mm of rainfall till 8.30am. A “yellow alert” has been issued for Bengaluru till May 23.

Meanwhile, a 35-year-old woman, Shashikala, died after a wall collapsed in Whitefield. Traffic was severely affected on Hosur Road, Bannerghatta Road, Hennur Road, Sarjapur Road and Old Madras Road due to waterlogging. Areas such as Koramangala, Horamavu, Central Silk Board, Panathur railway underpass, Balagere Road, Kariammana Agrahara, Bellandur, BMTC bus depot in Shantinagar and underpasses also reported flooding.

The Manyata Tech Park in Nagawara, one of the city’s major IT hubs, was once again flooded. Electronic City Flyover was closed in the morning due to waterlogging

Social media was flooded with citizen complaints. Chandrashekar M, posted on X, “Please look at Sarjapur Road near Junnasandra or the Wipro corporate office bus stop. This happens every year—even small rains flood the area. Having the entrance to a major IT company under water is definitely not 'Brand Bengaluru'.”

“Welcome to Brand Bengaluru, where lakes are tech parks and tech parks turn into lakes overnight.” Netizen Karthik posted: “#BrandBengaluru can be seen everywhere now... What a thought, what a vision,” X handle @karnatakaportf wrote.

Also read: Why India's tech hub just cannot manage rain

Boats were deployed to rescue stranded residents at Kogilu Circle near Yelahanka, Sri Sai Layout near Horamavu, and Rainbow Drive Layout near Sarjapur Road. BBMP administrator Tushar Giri Nath and BBMP chief commissioner Maheshwar Rao inspected different areas, travelling in tractors to monitor the situation.

“I’m deeply concerned by the havoc caused by relentless rains in Bengaluru. I’ve been in continuous touch with concerned officers and am monitoring the situation closely. I remain committed to Bengaluru, working round the clock to address challenges and ensure relief,” Shivakumar said.

BJP slams 'Brand Bengaluru' after rain havoc

BJP leaders slammed the Congress and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, calling 'Brand Bengaluru' a failure after the rains exposed the city's infrastructure woes. Opposition leader R Ashoka wrote on X: "What @INCKarnataka promised: Brand Bengaluru. What @INCKarnataka delivered: Beach Bengaluru. Part-time Bengaluru Development Minister and DCM @DKShivakumar avare, if you're done with your brother @DKSureshINC's Milk Union elections, kindly spare some time for Bengaluru."

BJP leader and former minister CN Ashwath Narayan wrote on X: *"Last night’s rains didn’t just expose Bengaluru’s infrastructure — they exposed @DKShivakumar’s two-year track record of doing nothing. Crores spent. Zero results. Broken roads. Overflowing drains. Lives disrupted. @INCKarnataka government = photo-ops in sunshine, silence in storm."

Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan said: “They can’t clear waterlogged roads or fallen trees after a single downpour, but they want to dig tunnels costing Rs 48,000 crore to ‘solve’ Bengaluru’s traffic? Maybe the tunnel’s real purpose is to serve as a water reservoir.”

Traffic congestion

Commuters across the city faced long delays. A PR professional said, “It took three hours from Yelahanka to Ecoworld in Bellandur due to waterlogging and potholes.” Another user, @Ashwatthama, wrote: “Silk Board is fully blocked. Commute time has tripled. Took 1.5 hours to cover 5 km.”

BBMP chief commissioner M Maheshwar Rao visited the confluence of K-100 and K-200 at the Bellandur Lake inlet junction and instructed officials to take necessary action.

Heavy traffic was reported from Ambedkar Nagar to JB Nagar (Challaghatta Pura), Siddapura to Marathahalli, Hebbal to Badrappa Layout, Gurudwara to Kensington, Kasturi Nagar to Railway Parallel Road, Ramamurthy Nagar bridge, Nagawara to Veerannapalya, Lowry underpass, Panthur RUB, Kumaraswamy Layout, Tin Factory, Varthur, Koramangala, Kogilu, Roopena Agrahara, Medahalli, BEL Road, Jnanabharathi, HSR Layout and  Kanakapura Road. Parts of Whitefield, Bellandur, and Agara also experienced heavy congestion due to waterlogging.

Also read: That sinking feeling again: Bengaluru crumbles in rain, city without elected council for over 4 years