Upper slab of stormwater drain in Bengaluru caves in, worker injured

The upper slab of a retaining wall being constructed on a stormwater drain in Kalidasa Layout, Srinagar, crashed on Tuesday morning. DH PHOTO/Pushkar V 

In a glaring example of shoddy construction by the BBMP, the upper slab of a retaining wall being constructed on a stormwater drain crashed on Tuesday. One worker suffered severe injuries while three others had a miraculous escape.

The incident, which occurred in Kalidasa Layout, Srinagar, exposes the poor quality of works undertaken by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, which has been called the “mothership of 40% commission”.

The four workers were pouring concrete into the centring plank when it just caved in around 10.30 am, plunging all of them into the 15-foot-deep drain below.

One of them, 25-year-old Firoz, suffered serious injuries and was admitted to KIMS Hospital. Three other workers sustained minor injuries. All are from Bihar.

The jurisdictional Hanumanthagar police said no complaint was filed over the incident until Tuesday evening.

The drain in question is connected to the Vrushabhavathi valley in the city’s west area.

Stormwater drains play a crucial role in Bengaluru as they carry rainwater to lakes across the length and breadth of the city. Most drains have retaining walls on both sides but no upper coverings. But in this case, the BBMP was building an upper covering on the drain in order to make space for street vendors to do business.

A portion of the upper covering is part of the Rs 10-crore contract given to RMN Infrastructures, a private company.

The BBMP has so far invested over Rs 2,000 crore to build retaining walls around 300 km of drains. The state government has promised another Rs 1,500 crore for a similar project. Drain remodelling has been touted as the ultimate solution to encroachments and garbage dumping, which often cause urban floods.