Bengaluru:
In Bengaluru, loud crackers may bring your house down, literally, warns a top official of the city as India prepares to celebrate the Diwali festival. Record rain in the city - more than in the last 115 years with 1400 mm in two months compared to an annual average of 900 mm has left buildings weakened. Bengaluru civic chief Manjunath Prasad says the sound of very loud crackers could cause further damage to houses.
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"There has been continuous rain and it has weakened the base of houses. We have advised people not to use loud crackers," Mr Prasad told NDTV.
Crackers louder than 125 decibels have been banned in the city, he said.
Earlier this week, a two-story building in the congested Ejipura area collapsed after a gas cylinder blast, killing six people. Witnesses said the 20 year-old building was reduced to rubble after a blast was heard.
The IT hub is currently facing public anger over poor civic infrastructure, which appears to have all but fallen apart due to the incessant rain.
Some 10 people have died of rain-related incident; a 16-year-old girl drowned in an overflowing drain today while another teen fell into an open drain.
In the past few weeks, there have been four deaths on the roads of Bengaluru because of potholes.
Last week, a woman died when she was flung from a scooter and crushed by a lorry near Bengaluru. Her sister, who was driving, had swerved to avoid a pothole.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was criticized when he said the deaths were "not because of potholes" but because of accidents.
The state government has asked for over 15,000 potholes to be fixed within 15 days.
The civic chief has also asked officials to ensure that the city is free of cracker waste.
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