The photo shows a fish caught on a waterlogged road in Bengaluru.
The heavy rain in Bengaluru on Tuesday turned city's roads into rivers, with rescuers using boats to evacuate stranded citizens. The crisis also threw up some surprises. Twitter users have posted photos on the social media platform showing volunteers holding a fish caught from the waterlogged roads. People said there is no need to go to the sea for fishing, as "fresh catch" is available in the middle of the road. The Karnataka government has estimated rain-related losses since June to the tune of Rs 7,647.13 crore.
"Come to Bangalore. You get fresh catch in the middle of the road now!" said a tweet posted by user Sameer Mohan.
It shows a volunteer holding a fish that resembles a river catfish (locally known as Singhara), while another one is clicking its photo on the mobile phone.
Other users were surprised to see the photo. "Bangalore taking 'hook your customers' to a whole new (sea) level," said one user. "It was meen-ing to cross the road," tweeted another.
Some users also discussed the location, and said it appears to be near Ecospace, in the Bellandur area.
The volunteers were pressed into service to minimise the inconvenience caused to the general public. Due to the downpour, vehicles were stranded on a long waterlogged stretch on Bengaluru-Mysuru highway, while pedestrians struggled to walk.
Since June 1, Karnataka has received 820 mm of rainfall, affecting 27 districts and 187 villages, impacting a population of 29,967. News agency PTI said in a report on Tuesday that nine mm rainfall has been recorded in a 24-hour span affecting 20 villages in Ramanagara, Chamarajanagara and Mandya districts and impacting lives of 3,000 people.
The state government said that it will be sending a proposal to the Centre seeking a relief of Rs 1,012.5 crore as per National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms.
The government will also ask the Centre to depute an inter-ministerial team to assess damages caused by rain, floods and landslides in the state, Karnataka's Revenue Minister R Ashoka was quoted as saying by PTI.