ORR Companies Association (ORRCA), which represents all major IT and banking companies on the Outer Ring Road stretch, has collectively suffered a Rs 225 crore loss due to flooding. The association said that government should come up with short-term and mid-term plans to address the issue of infrastructural collapse.
Floods caused Rs 225 cr loss
ORRCA in a letter submitted to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday calculated a collective loss of Rs 225 crore for all the firms it represents due to the flooding of the outer ring road after heavy rain lashed the city on August 30.
The ORRCA represents all major IT and banking companies on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) stretch.
“Poor infrastructure on this corridor is bringing down efficiency and productivity of the companies and putting employee safety and well-being at risk. Inadequate infrastructure on the ORR has reached a crisis level. Even though only 30% of the ORR population has returned to work from the office, the collapse of the infrastructure has drawn the global concern of Bengaluru’s inability to handle future growth,” the letter written to the chief minister states.
“Flooding on ORR on August 30 has led to a loss of Rs 225 crores as employees and staff were stuck on the road for more than 5 hours,” the letter added.
The ORRCA also pointed out in the letter that the government should come up with short-term and mid-term plans in order to address the infrastructural issues.
“It is in the collective interest of ORRCA and the government that Bengaluru infrastructure issues are addressed with a short midterm and longer-term view to sustain the growth, as these companies will seek alternate destinations if the situation does not improve,” the letter said.
Bommai Blames Previous Govt
Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai accused the previous governments in the state of having ‘neglected’ Bengaluru.
“For the past eight to 10 years, Bengaluru was completely neglected. There was not any major issue before the previous governments, but they did not do it. The works executed were of substandard quality. Because of their poor work, we are suffering today,” Bommai said.
“The substandard work and corruption have resulted in so much of a problem. I can give with documentary evidence how badly the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike functioned,” he adds.
He claimed that Rs 800 crores were spent on the remodeling of drains but that amount was not used properly, which is obvious from the fact that the encroachment was not removed. The CM alleged that all major builders have encroached upon the major drains in the last 15 years.
“Buildings and roads have been built on stormwater drains. What were these officials doing at the time of issuing the license? Had they shut their eyes?” Bommai asked. He wanted to know why they approved such a plan and did not see the maps.
Bommai also warned the officials to change their style of functioning. “I am telling you in clear terms that this way of functioning will not go on anymore. You have to change the way you work. You should not buckle under any pressure irrespective of who the person is,” Bommai said.
