23-year-old woman killed in Bengaluru as scooter skids on waterlogged road

A 23-year-old woman in Bengaluru was electrocuted in Bengaluru while she was trying to wade through inundated streets in Whitefield area of the city. According to reports, Akhila was returning home from work on her scooter at 9.30 pm on Monday, September 5, and was driving through a deeply inundated road near near Mayura Bakery, when she suddenly lost balance and fell down. While trying to wade through the inundated road, Akhila tried to grab onto something to keep her balance. However, she accidentally touched an electric pole and was electrocuted. 

Akhila was shifted to hospital but she was brought dead. Akhila used to work in the administration department of a school. The family of the deceased has blamed Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) for improper handling of the electricity and other systems. A case has been registered, and the Whitefield Police are investigating the matter. 

Bengaluru has been battling severe rainfall, bringing parts of the city to a standstill and exposing the poor infrastructure of the city. Several parts of Bengaluru are inundated with areas such as Bellandur and Yemalur being some of the worst affected. Water has entered many residential complexes and people are being rescued in tractors by the BBMP. 

After two days of heavy rains at night, roads in Bengaluru resemble rivers, leading to huge traffic snarls. Students and office-goers are stuck at home, there are power outages in many areas and with water pumping stations under water, Bengaluru is also staring at a water crisis. IT hub regions of Electronics City, Marathahalli, Outer Ring Road, Mahadevapura, Whitefield and Bommanahalli are the worst affected. Heavy rains inundated these places forcing the authorities to bring out boats and rafts for rescue operations.

This is not the first time that the soft underside of India's favourite city of IT companies and startups, has got exposed. While water-logging during monsoon is a common problem, this year it has been particularly severe. The last few months have seen heavy rains lash the city, leaving the city's civic infrastructure in shambles.

With IANS inputs