Rain Chaos: Bengaluru's Infrastructure Ills Exposed

Can Bengaluru's infrastructure withstand another monsoon? It is a question we ask every year, and then within days, as it happens with the crumbling infrastructure in other cities, it is forgotten or brushed aside for later. Let me tell you what has happened now. After just two days of excess rain in India's tech capital, several areas in the city are now fully inundated and waterlogged. For years, between the BJP and Congress we have seen promises of a city masterplan, separate budget for brand Bengaluru and most importantly, a plan to remodel the city's stormwater drains that have been a problem. This is also the place that has pioneered many debates on climate change and solutions. It is the city of lakes that has a strong civic action network, which means there are more people asking questions, holding governments accountable, but as politics plays out between the BJP and Congress over rain and infra mess, we ask today, what will it take to reboot India's IT capital.