Downpour, fallen trees put brakes on traffic TIMES NEWS NETWORK Bangalore: Heavy showers on Saturday evening left many areas in the city waterlogged. The most affected were parts of south Bangalore and Sarjapur, with many trees falling and an overflowing Belandur lake. The city received 41.2mm of rainfall till 8.30pm, as the maximum temperature dropped to 31 degrees Celsius. The city’s minimum temperature was recorded at 21.1 degrees Celsius. BBMP officials said six trees were uprooted due to heavy rains in south Bangalore. Bull Temple Road, Hanuman Nagar, Kamakya, Nagendra Block were blocked because of uprooted trees, while houses were inundated in Katriguppe and Okalipuram slum. BBMP’s disaster management vehicle, Prahari, were sent to these places to clear the huge branches and trunk, which hauled up traffic. Sarjapur Road was affected, not due to heavy rain but because of man-made mistakes. Palash Gurjar, a software engineer, and resident of Suncity Apartments near Belandur lake, said: “Our colony houses 5,000 apartments and the drainage system leads to Belandur lake. The drainage pipe is choked and has resulted in waterlogging. The stretch around the lake is filled with 5 feet of water and vehicles are unable to ply. We complained to BBMP commissioner, corporator, MLAs, but it has fallen on deaf ears. We are helpless.” Sajjan Raj Mehta, former president, Karnataka Hosiery & Garment Association, said, “First, the rain, and then, we are dealing with a complete power cut since 7pm.” Meanwhile, the Met department predicted moderate to heavy rainfall for the next two days. “The pre-monsoon season has set in and we can expect regular showers now,” said an official. The maximum temperature is likely to remain around 32 degrees Celsius and Bangaloreans can expect a pleasant weekend ahead. MAYOR CRACKS THE WHIP Mayor D Venkatesh Murthy cracked the whip on erring BBMP engineers on Saturday evening. While on a surprise round with deputy mayor L Srinivas, Murthy suggested the suspension of three engineers who stayed away from BBMP control room. The engineers are R Jagannath (AEE ward 99), KN Krishnamurthy (AE town plan) and H Ravindranath (AE Town plan).