Bengaluru: The new BBMP Commissioner, M
Lakshminarayana, spent his Sunday visiting a drain in the
Padmanabha­nagar ward, where one particular 30 meter retaining wall has
collapsed onto the road for the third consecutive year!

On
Saturday, the newly-instated civic body chief monitored the extent of
the damage caused in the city by the monsoons and deputed rescue forces.
The retaining wall, which collapsed onto the road, obstructed the
movement of traffic and caused inconvenience to nearby residents.
Luckily, no loss of life, injuries or damage has been reported.

Even
one day after the heavy downpour, the water has not been cleared from
the roads, making commuting a nightmarish experience for motorists. The
BBMP engineers not managed to clear the shoulder drains. The failure to
desilt tertiary and secondary drains before the onset of monsoon has led
to the overflowing of drains across the city.

The commissioner
directed the concerned engineer to clear the debris shortly, failing
which people using the service road near the drain would be affected. He
also directed the engineers to start building the retaining wall within
two days.

After learning that some stretch of drain has weakened,
Mr Lakshminarayan directed the engineers to prepare an estimate. He
directed his officials to gear up for emergencies and to take all the
necessary precautionary measures. It looks as the monsoons are keeping
Lakhsminarayana on his toes!