After unprecedented rains marooned large parts of Bengaluru, the Karnataka government which drew a lot of flak has swung into action with CN Ashwath Narayan, Minister for Electronics, Information Technology, and Biotechnology, meeting with the heads of several IT companies on Wednesday.
The Minister discussed with industry honchos the problems faced by the companies due to flooding following incessant rains which has led to loss in productvity.
Representatives of Infosys, Wipro, TCS, Mphasis, NASSCOM, Intel, and others attended the meeting held at Vidhan Soudha
Areas that house most tech companies - Outer Ring Road (ORR), Sarjapur Road, Bellandur, and Whitefield - were flooded and various campuses were inundated. Employees were stuck in traffic for long hours. Visuals of employees commuting to work on tractors also made the rounds on social media.
The Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) had estimated that companies have suffered a loss of Rs 225 crores in a single day as employees were stuck in traffic for five hours
Bengaluru has witnessed heavy downpours in the last week. On Sunday, the city received 131.6 mm of rainfall in 24 hours, making it the third highest single-day rainfall ever recorded in the city. The continuous downpour has resulted in severe flooding and infrastructure damage.
WFH announced for employees
Wipro and TCS have asked their employees in Bengaluru to work from home, according to reports. The companies however said that the business has not been impacted.
Wipro has invoked Business Continuity Plans and said it is closely monitoring the situation. TCS too said that the situation is being monitored and its delivery teams have been advised to exercise due caution.
CM seeks fair relief from Centre
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has urged the Central government to release a fair compensation as per the central guidelines. He said that the State government has prepared rain damage estimate.
This comes after Bommai held a meeting with the central assessment team headed by Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary Ashish Kumar. The damages caused by incessant rains in the last two months in Chitradurga, Hassan, Chikmagalur, Haveri, Dharwad, and other districts was discussed. Bommai said that the proposal regarding the damages caused in just the last week will be submitted immediately.
The Chief Minister yesterday announced an emergency relief package of ₹600 crore to manage the rain havoc. Bengaluru alone has been allocated ₹300 crore, to restore damaged infrastructure. The government said that since November 500 crore has been released twice for repairs.