Rain rubs salt into IT woes

A wet start is on the cards for Bangalore IT.in 2005, positioned as Asia's premier information, communications, and technology event, already overshadowed by political wranglings in Karnataka.

It has been raining heavily since Saturday in India's technology capital where the annual trade-show commences with the state seeking to showcase its IT prowess and the Meteorology department has predicted more rains this week.

But unlike the previous years, the usual excitement on the eve of the eighth edition is conspicuously missing.

The IT industry, which flexed its muscles to highlight the infrastructural woes in Bangalore, and the Congress-JD(S) coalition government have been at loggerheads.

Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's attack on Infosys Technologies on land allotment and utilisation issues and on its chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy questioning his contribution as chairman of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) have not helped matters either.

The open trading of charges between Deve Gowda and Maharashtra governor S M Krishna, the former Karnataka chief minister, have added to the unease in government circles.

Deve Gowda, in fact, is the chief guest at the inaugural function, hosted by Karnataka government in association with Software Technology Parks of India, on the sprawling

Palace Grounds and what has to say will be watched with interest.

Even as there is clouds over the event, the city was held to ransom by incessant rains for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday, claiming two lives.

Two persons were washed away near the Silk Board junction here while they were wading through waist deep water, the fire brigade officials said.

Most of the southern parts of the city including the posh layouts were marooned by the heavy downpour.

Frantic calls for help have been pouring in from HSR layout, Mangammana Palya and adjacent areas, fire brigade officials added.

The civic authorities were at the end of their tether with an uphill task to evacuate affected persons to safer places, sources added.

According to the meteorological department here, incessant rains would continue for the next three days.

IMD director Anand Koppar said that this October had been the "wettest" in the history of Bangalore as the city received a record rainfall of 525 mm upto breaking the previous record of 522 mm in 1956.

The heavy downpour also saw the annual rainfall record being surpassed with the state receiving 1,435.3 mm of rain as of yesterday compared to the previous highest of 1,432.2 mm recorded in 1998, he said.

Koppar said according to forecasts, the city is expected to receive rains "off and on" till the first week of November, indicating tougher days for its citizens.

Water in several arterial roads of the city was obstructing vehicular movement, police said.