Bengaluru floods: Wipro unblocks drain at Sarjapur Road office, eases waterlogging. Video

Workers clearing up the drain in front of Wipro office on Sarjapur Road. (Image credit: @Divkris/X)

Wipro on Wednesday unblocked a crucial drain in its Sarjapur Road office in Bengaluru easing the severe waterlogging in the area following heavy rainfall over the last two days. The matter came to light after environmentalist Divya Radhakrishnan shared the incident on X.

She said that a key reason for the flooding along Sarjapur Road was the blockage of the water channel between Halanayakanhalli Lake and Saul Kere, allegedly by Wipro. "This obstruction has led to severe waterlogging, disrupting the lives of thousands of families in the area. Wipro, as a responsible global company, we urge you to take immediate steps to clear the blockage and restore the natural flow," Divya wrote tagging the IT giant and its chairman Rishad Premji.

She added that the matter was taken up with the Wipro authorities multiple times but in vain. "Every year they manage to block the drain with stones," Divya wrote.

@RishadPremji here are videos of workers clearing up the drain right in front of your offices. @Wipro @timesofindia @TOIBengaluru @moneycontrolcom @ChristinMP_ @DeccanHerald @ArvindLBJP @BBMPCOMM #unblockthechannel pic.twitter.com/iv22BnNRPn
Divya Radhakrishnan (@Divkris) October 22, 2024

She later shared an update on Wednesday afternoon that Wipro had cleared the drain. "As of 2.30 pm, Wipro, have broken the drain that they had blocked. This is a win albeit a temporary one. Thanks to the SB residents who spent the last two hours talking and negotiating with Wipro team," she said.

In September 2022, Wipro had removed a 2.4-meter concrete slab from a stormwater drain on its campus as part of a demolition drive by the BBMP. At the time, the civic authorities had released a list of high-profile encroachers and Wipro was featured on it. The IT company, however, stated that the construction was carried out as per the permitted plan, Times Now reported.