Bengaluru: A heavy downpour accompanied by hailstorms threw life out of gear across the city Thursday evening. The hailstorms hit Kammanahalli, Indiranagar, Basavanagudi, Lingarajapuram, Shanthinagar and other areas. Over 40 trees and poles were uprooted.
According to BBMP officials, trees were uprooted in C.V Raman Nagar, Indiranagar, Kadugodi, Jayanagar, Maruthi Seva Nagar, Sampangiramnagar, Ballari Road, Mathikere Road and Chamarajpet. Water gushed into several houses in low low-lying areas such as in Madiwala, Nandini Layout and Kanteerava Studio. Areas like Mekhri Circle, Vasanth Nagar, Majestic, Shivajinagar, Lalbagh, HAL, Upparpet, Kamalanagar received heavy showers, following which two-wheeler riders were stranded on the road.
With waterlogging at the entry and exit points of flyovers, there was bumper to bumper traffic in North Bengaluru including Hebbal. In areas near Ashoka Pillar, Jayanagar Third Block, Ramana Maharshi Road and Palace Ground near Gayatri Vihar, traffic was stalled for hours after trees were uprooted. Traffic police had a tough time as hailstorms affected vehicular movement in Sanjay Nagar, Mahalakshmi Layout, Nandini Layout and Shivajinagar.
Outer Ring Road near Kadibisanahalli was one of the worst affected. BESCOM got 1,749 complaints in a span of two hours as Bengaluru recorded 52.2 mm (5.2 cm), and HAL received 49 mm. Half the city was plunged into darkness Thursday night, after around 50 trees were uprooted in the rain.
Rain pain for minister Abhay Chandra Jain
While Bengalureans battled rain on the streets, Fisheries and sports minister Abhay Chandra Jain slipped and fell in front of Vidhana Soudha Thursday evening. The incident took place when the minister was returning from the East gate of the secretariat building.
