Roads flooded, Metro hit, traffic paralysed as fierce rain batters Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Bengaluru came to a near standstill Thursday evening as fierce pre-monsoon thundershowers, accompanied by hail and gusty winds, lashed large parts of the city, flooding roads, uprooting trees, disrupting Metro services, and leaving thousands of commuters stranded in massive traffic snarls.The bright, sunny day turned gloomy by evening as dark clouds engulfed the skyline before intense spells of rain swept across the city during peak traffic hours. Strong winds brought down trees and electricity poles in several localities.Interestingly, India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for Bengaluru around 6.20pm, warning of heavy rain, thunderstorms, and gusty winds. Within minutes, intense rain lashed the central parts of the city. IMD officials said wind speeds touched 46kmph in isolated areas between 6.30pm and 7pm. Till 8.30pm, Bengaluru city recorded 44.2mm of rainfall, while the HAL area received only 3.8mm, highlighting the highly localised nature of the event.The heavy rain disrupted Namma Metro services on the Purple and Green Lines after metal sheets fell onto the tracks near Hoodi and Benniganahalli. The disruption forced BMRCL to operate short-loop services, resulting in delays of nearly 20-25 minutes.“Metro trains were extremely crowded, with security personnel pushing people into the coaches to close the doors. The interchange stations at Majestic and RV Road were packed, and commuters were jostling for space. Trains stopped for 3-4 minutes at each station,” commuter Subramanya told TOI.While the rain brought down temperatures across the city, it also caused severe inconvenience on roads, with commuters, especially two-wheeler riders, navigating flyovers amid poor visibility, strong crosswinds and waterlogging. Rain accompanied by hail was reported from several areas, including Vijayanagar, Shantinagar, Lalbagh, Cubbon Park, KR Market, Jayanagar, Rajajinagar, Vasanthnagar, Majestic, Wilson Garden, Mysore Road, Basaveshwaranagar, Malleswaram, and Cunningham Road.Several low-lying areas witnessed severe flooding, including Sankey Road, Brigade Road, SJP Road, Lalbagh Road, Sultanpet, Garudacharpalya, Varthur Kodi, and near Vibgyor School. The KR Circle underpass was barricaded after it was inundated.Strong winds uprooted trees and electricity poles across the city. Near City Hospital on West of Chord Road, a fallen tree damaged two parked cars, while another tree collapsed on a car at Indiranagar 16th Cross. A huge tree also fell near the Shankarmutt area, disrupting traffic. However, no injuries were reported.Traffic disruptions were also reported from near Domlur on Old Airport Road after a tree fell on the road. Similar incidents were reported near Swami Vivekananda Road Metro station, Banaswadi-Horamavu underpass, Davis Road and Machalibetta Junction near ITC Limited.The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) control room reported nearly 50 incidents of fallen trees.