Forced out of homes, Kurubarahalli families rely on BBMP shelter

BENGALURU: In the basement of Manjushree marriage hall on the busy Kurubarahalli Main Road, four families currently live in a single hall. These are families whose homes either collapsed or became unlivable after heavy rainfall left their homes inundated on Friday night.

The hall is among the centres that the BBMP has arranged to provide shelter to such families, and also for residents from low-lying areas to stay in case of heavy rainfall. All the four families currently staying in the hall lost most of their possessions after Friday night’s rain and are now faced with uncertainty. As of now, they have to depend on the shelter for food too.

Among them is Thirupati’s family. Recollecting their narrow escape, Thirupati said, “We were all inside the house and it was raining heavily. A lot of water was seeping in and my wife and I felt that the building was not very stable. So, we quickly got out of the house with our four children. Just a couple of minutes after that, the structure collapsed.” Thirupati works as a daily wage labourer.

Thirupati’s wife Lakshmi points to her youngest child, two-year-old Ramakrishna, who is naked and explains that most of their clothes were lost in the flooding. A few bags and cartons containing all their belongings are stacked up against a wall at the marriage hall.

Gurubasava, another resident whose family is now at the shelter, said even the `10,000 compensation promised to them might not be enough to cover their losses. Pointing to his house, he said, “There was 6 feet of water inside my home. All we could think of was to get the children to safety. We could not save any of our belongings. I don’t know if we can survive here now.”

The residents are a worried lot after the rains, but the availability of a shelter nearby has given them some solace. Apart from the marriage hall, BBMP has also set up shelters at a school and a yoga centre in the area, where residents can stay during heavy rainfall.