Ever since he took over the reins of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Mayor S.K. Nataraj has been asked questions over whether his new team can tackle the exigencies that a monsoon brings. The pre-monsoon devastation is a warning, if any is needed that the BBMP must home in on the weak links in the city that are off the radar. The Mayor says they are on top of the job.

One of the major challenges for you as a Mayor has begun with the monsoon setting in. How well is your team prepared?
We have held a meeting with the chief engineers and prepared an action plan to tackle rain related issues. All eight zones have JCBs and transportation facility. Depending on the size of the zone and considering the past incidents, we have earmarked 30 to 15 men teams on ready to move mode. These teams will be stationed at different wards and act immediately.

People travel and live in low-lying areas usually get worst hit. Should they be still worried this monsoon or is there any reason to be relieved?
I have ordered that drains are cleaned as and when they are filled with silt. The teams will be visiting such places frequently and cleaning will be done immediately after each rain. Usually, after just two rains, the silt fills up fast. Desilting work is now on at Kanakapura Road stretch where the drain is clogged with silt.

Last year, Abhishek’s death showed up how ill-prepared the city is. It was a sorry state of affairs. This year pre-monsoon rains claimed the life of Sanjana Singh in Hebbal. Is there a list of sensitive places?
What happened in Hebbal is a sad incident. The girl was on her way home and the compound wall collapsed. Of course we have taken necessary action from the administrative point of view. As far as identifying sensitive spots, it is not easy to do that. One girl died when the roof collapsed on her the other day. In the meeting with the chief engineers we have discussed this aspect too.