Bengaluru: Infosys employee dies in flash floods due to rains

Bengaluru's rain on Sunday claimed the life of a 22 year old girl on Sunday, less than a kilometer from Vidhana Soudha - the state's seat of power - within 24 hours of the new government taking over.
Bhanurekha K, who worked at Infosys, was trapped in a flooded underpass at KR circle in a car with a few other people. While everyone was rescued and rushed to St. Martha's hospital, Bhanurekha did not survive.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visited the hospital and declared compensation of Rs 5 lakh for her kin. Speaking to reporters, he said the family was from Vijayawada, in Andhra Pradesh. "They had rented a car and were touring the city…There was a barricade to prevent people from entering the underpass. But the barricade had fallen over due to rain," he said.

IT major Infosys has issued a statement, saying that the company was extremely saddened by the passing of its employee. "We are in touch with her family, and will extend all support and cooperation in their hour of need," the company said.

The city was deluged with heavy rain and hail storms on Sunday afternoon. Several parts of the city were flooded and trees were uprooted.

Former CM Basavraj Bommai took to twitter to express condolences at Bhanurekha's passing. "The new government should immediately issue orders to the BBMP [the city's municipal corporation Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike] to make necessary preparations to prevent damage caused by rains," he said.

Janata Dal Secular (JDS) leader HD Kumaraswamy slammed the BBMP on twitter, calling the incident the height of negligence on the local body's part. "The corporation was supposed to remove garbage from the underpasses and make sure water flowed away smoothly…it only wakes up after disaster and loss of life," he said. He demanded that the new government find a permanent solution to this problem.

In view of the havoc caused by Sunday's pre-monsoon shower, the civic body has its work cut out to prepare the city for the soon approaching monsoon season.

India's Silicon Valley had been hit hard by rains last year. The city’s drainage systems were unable to deal with the excessive rainfall, especially in heavily constructed, low-lying areas. Bommanahalli and Mahadevpura, which house the tech cluster in the city, bore the brunt of monsoon rains last September, forcing tech companies to shift to work-from-home and several residents to flee their homes with the help of tractors and boats.