Govt plans to ban basement parking in flood-prone areas

As torrential rains continued to batter Bengaluru, leaving several areas submerged, Karnataka's top political leadership took stock of the situation on Wednesday and announced a series of measures aimed at tackling the city's long-standing urban flooding issues.

- Arun Dev

BENGALURU: Among them was the ban on basement parking spaces in low-lying areas.

Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar said the state government is working on a new regulation that will prohibit the construction of basement parking in vulnerable areas prone to waterlogging. "I am taking a policy decision that wherever there is a low-lying area, we will not allow underground parking facilities in future. We will allow them to build parking spaces at higher level, and any parking should be above ground and not underground, because we can see that more water is flowing into these places, leading to seepage," he said during a visit to several flood-hit locations across the city. He reiterated that the new rule is "more or less" at the last stage.

Shivakumar, who also handles the Bengaluru Development portfolio, visited several rain-affected zones along with chief minister Siddaramaiah and other senior leaders, including KJ George and Bhairathi Suresh. The team was accompanied by senior civic officials and engineers.

Following the site visits, Siddaramaiah addressed the media and outlined specific steps the administration is taking to prevent further damage. At Manyata Tech Park, he noted that encroachments were obstructing the stormwater drain (rajakaluve). "I have instructed to clear the encroachment immediately. The CEO of Manyata Tech Park has said that he will take steps to build a drain on his own road within 90 days and ensure smooth flow of water," he said.