Bengaluru May Ban Basement Parking in Low-Lying Areas: DK Shivakumar's New Proposal

Bengaluru May Ban Basement Parking in Low-Lying Areas: Following heavy rains and a tragic electrocution accident, the Karnataka government intends to put forward legislation to prohibit basement parking in low-lying areas of Bengaluru, D. K. Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister, said on Tuesday.

The two deaths had occurred near NS Palya in BTM Layout 2nd Stage following an electric shock brought about by flooding-were the last straw.

Shivakumar, who is also the minister for Bengaluru Development, had inspected the site during heavy rains along with senior civic officials and expressed concern at the recurrent infrastructure failures during the rains.

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“This has been a major experience for all of us,” he said. “Basements in low-lying areas become death traps when it rains continuously. Waterlogging makes underground pumps and electrical systems dangerous.”

Shivakumar said he has already asked his office to study the legal possibilities to institute a ban on basement constructions in areas prone to floods. “Instead of underground parking, car parks should be planned on the first floor in these areas. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen tragedies, even in Rajarajeshwari Nagar we had a similar issue due to pumps installed below ground,” he said.

The city needed a complete relook at urban planning, he said, and the legislative framework required reform, with the aim of making Bengaluru weather-resilient.

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“This has been a long-standing issue, even the BDA tried addressing it 30 years ago, with good intentions. But we need better enforcement now,” he said according to a India Today report, he further said that even civic officials and police officers had received electric shocks in the act of trying to save residents.

The Deputy Chief Minister also announced an ex gratia amount of ₹5 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased men, with compensation for those who had lost cattle and other property in rain-related incidents.

A detailed action plan for rain preparedness would be brought forward once the weather condition stabilizes, he added.

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