Bengaluru's flood-hit areas wait for better infra and compensation

Prema lives with her husband in a low-income area in Bengaluru’s Anandanagar. One weak wall of their house collapsed on her husband — the sole breadwinner of the family— during the rains that lashed the city in September 2022. While her husband recovered from the injury, Prema did odd jobs to feed the family of four. Even today, the collapsed wall is covered with plastic sheets — standing as a testimony to the negligence of the administration towards the poor in Bengaluru.

There are more than 20 such buildings in the Anandanagar and Sudhamanagar slums in the Jeevanbimanagar ward that faced the same situation last year. Eventually, some residents shifted elsewhere while those who could not afford to shift continue to live in the collapsed houses. DH saw many houses with makeshift roofs covered with plastic sheets during a visit to the area.

In the aftermath of floods last year, then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had announced a compensation of Rs 25,000 to the houses that got damaged. But many like Prema did not get any compensation.

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Ambamma living in Sudhamanagar, whose house roof had collapsed, says many officials visited and took pictures, but no compensation ever came to them.

Jennifer, another resident, explains another major problem. During heavy rain, due to the lack of a functional drain, water gushes into many houses. Such situations push them to misery but no help comes to them from the city administration or the state government. Neither Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) nor Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) seems to have made a serious effort to clear the drains.

Every time low-lying areas get affected by rains, the government declares compensation. The last such compensation was announced in September 2022. However, the affected people find it difficult to get it.

A Chennaiah, an office-bearer of All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), said that repeated pleas to the BBMP requesting help and compensation fell on deaf ears. Even the applications seeking compensation were not honoured.

“About 26 people had applied through AICCTU from Sudhamanagar and Anandanagar slums. Revenue inspectors came and took photos and promised compensation but it never came,” he says.

A resident of HBR Layout near Manyata Tech Park, belonging to a middle-income family, said that though floods affect him every year, he does not go and claim compensation. “It involves a lot of politics and I don’t want to be a part of it,” he added.

After being sued by 11 residents of this area, which resulted in a court order, the Karnataka Slum Development Board is now helping some of the residents to rebuild their homes under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. But many including Prema are unable to pay the Rs 20,000 deposit—the first installment of the Rs 60,000 they must pay.

Follow-up helps

Gopal H from Annapurneshwari Nagar layout in Jnanabharathi ward says that his house got flooded in November, damaging the appliances and two-wheelers. The estimated loss was Rs 30,000.

“The MLA of the area (R Munirathna Naidu) visited our houses and got a compensation of Rs 25,000 sanctioned within two months,” he adds.

He is just one among the many who got the compensation in his ward. Ramanna Thimmaiah, President, Jnanabharathi Ward Nivasigala Vedike, says that follow-up is very important to get compensation. “Revenue officers usually take care of the compensation but generally the work is quick and impactful if local representatives get involved. We usually ask corporators or the MLA to get involved in the process,” he adds.

Official versions

BBMP revenue officials say that last year, compensation was given as per government guidelines. A maximum of Rs 1 lakh is given for house damage and Rs 25,000 for damage to food grains, equipment, utensils, etc.

A revenue inspector and engineer jointly inspect houses, assess the damage and collect photo and video evidence. Based on the details they submit, the revenue officer for the area prepares a report proposing the compensation amount. They submit the report to the zonal or joint commissioner, who makes the final decision about the compensation amount.

A revenue inspector at a sub-division in Yelahanka zone says that 12-15 people in his jurisdiction received flood compensation last year. “The damages were to equipment and utensils, so they received around Rs 10,000 each,” he says.

When asked why some people’s compensation request gets rejected, he says, “It could be because the damage is not severe enough. For every application, officials are supposed to record the reason for rejecting compensation. The applicant needs to follow up on this. They also need to check if the revenue officer has put up their proposal for compensation; without this proposal, they won’t get the amount.”

The compensation for rain damages is issued based on the rules set by the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA). Houses that are completely damaged and have turned unsuitable for dwelling receive Rs 5 lakh as compensation. The compensation for partial damages is determined based on the assessment by the BBMP officials.

Those whose houses were flooded are eligible only for Rs 10,000 compensation, except in cases where the government steps in and announces a higher compensation.

“Last year, the CM announced Rs 25,000 compensation in a few areas. Hence, we disbursed a higher compensation. It is left to the discretion of the government,” says a senior BBMP official.

Speaking about the delay in disbursement of compensation, another official says that people should ensure they apply immediately after the incident. “After people apply for compensation, our revenue officials will verify the damages and record it with a GPS-tagged photograph. The compensation is processed only after verification. If people apply late, we cannot verify the claim and may leave them ineligible for compensation,” the official adds.

BBMP Special Commissioner (Finance) Jayaram Raipura says that the finance department has released funds for all the applications received from the zones. “If people have not received compensation even after inspection by the officials, they should escalate the matter. We direct all the officials to process and forward the applications within a month. If their claim is verified, they will definitely get compensation if they raise a complaint and escalate the matter,” he says.

‘The State isn’t neutral’

A study done in Bengaluru on 4,000 respondents by the scholars of Brown University and Azim Premji University with Janagraha as a partner throws light on the pattern of people getting government services and benefits.

The study ‘The Rich Have Peers, the Poor Have Patrons: Engaging the State in a South Indian City’ looks at how people avail government services, such as cards and certificates related to water, sewage and electricity.

The study checked three things: How many people engaged with the State, what was the mode of engagement, which mode worked more effectively. About 76% of the respondents engaged with the state. Out of this, 63% engaged directly, like reaching out to the electricity office for power-related issues or BWSSB for water issues. The other 37% engaged through brokers and bribes.

Statistical modelling of the study data shows that the poor mainly use a brokered model of engagement mainly. They also leverage their ability to go to rallies and support political leaders while engaging with the political class. In contrast, the rich use their connections to get things done.

The modeling also showed that the odds of getting jobs done were significantly higher in brokered engagement, not in the direct engagement. Connections mattered more in getting things done than simply showing up in an office.

“The State will not operate on neutral principles, it will work through connections built through participation or the class. The rich don’t have to go out and campaign - they can simply call. The poor also (have to) get things done by political connection and participation,” says Ashutosh Varshney, political scientist and professor of Political Science at Brown University, who participated in the study.