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BENGALURU: Swirling rain waters flooding various localities across the city over the past one month not only entered houses and damaged furniture and electronics, but also rendered many swanky cars useless.

Vehicles of residents of ST Bed Layout , Koramangala, HSR Layout and Gottigere among other areas affected by the incessant downpour are yet to come back from garages where they were sent for repair. Some high-end cars worth over Rs 50 lakh were also damaged, owners of which had to spend anywhere between Rs 10 to Rs 15 lakh for repairs.

Several residents of south and southeastern Bengaluru said that despite spending lakhs on repairs, they are still waiting for their cars.

ST Bed Layout resident NS Chandrashekar's both cars were damaged in the heavy downpour on August 15. "I have a Honda City and my son owns a Swift Dzire. Engines of both the cars needed complete overhaul. We first went to a popular garage which told us that the repair bill would be up to Rs 4 lakh for both the cars and that they would be delivered only after three months. We then went to a small garage on Bannerghatta Road which gave us an estimate of Rs 2 lakh for the job.We don't know how much money we can claim from the insurance company . They said it would take three weeks to repair the cars, it has been close to a month and they are still seeking more time," he said.

Almost all the residents of ST Bed Layout, which has got flooded more than five times in the past one month, face a similar plight. Another resident Kailas Nadkarni said, "Even a week ago, no cars were seen on any of the streets here. Most were damaged and sent for repair," His two vehicles returned from the garage just two days ago.

"Only the electrical circuits in the car engines were damaged. This is despite the cars being parked in the garage which is a little above the ground level. The repair cost Rs 50,000 but I could claim only Rs 16,000 for one of them from the insurance company .My son works in Electronic City and has been taking a cab every day since the past 20 days. He is spending more money than he would on fuel in his own car," Nadkarni said.

Anu (name changed), who lives in an apartment in HSR Layout near Kudlu village, said she was given an estimate of Rs 3 lakh for repair of both her cars. "The basement of the apartment was flooded on the night of September 2. My husband's official car was severely damaged. The damages to my SUV were not much. The garage said the repair will take more than a month because many cars were lined up."

Her husband now rides a scooter to his Jayanagar office, 10 km from their house."I'm spending a lot on cabs to drop and pick my daughter from school owing to surcharge during the morning peak hours," Anu said.

TIMES VIEW

Incessant rain in the past month flooded several localities, damaging furniture, electronics and several vehicles as water gushed into houses and basements.Residents had to send their cars for costly repairs. Several areas such as ST Bed Layout, Koramangala and HSR Layout were submerged in knee-deep water with water from clogged drains overflowing onto the roads. There is an urgent need to clear and desilt storm water drains to save citizens from a similar fate in the future. Those who have raised concrete structures on drains should be penalized for adding to the chaos.

