Days after an under-construction building collapsed in Bengaluru, killing eight people, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the government had given civic bodies the power to stop the construction of any unauthorized building and poor quality.

Shivakumar, who is also Bengaluru Development Minister, said on Saturday, “The previous government had reduced the powers of officials to take action against unauthorized constructions. Our government has decided to vest the power to stop unauthorized constructions with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA). Registration of unauthorized properties will also be stopped. At the same time, we are also focusing on removing encroachments.”

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday held a meeting with district collectors and chief executive officers to discuss the impact of heavy rains. Karnataka received 181 mm of rain from October 1 to 25, an increase of 58% from the usual rainfall of 114 mm.

Siddaramaiah said excessive rainfall from June to September had already paved the way for significant challenges with the state recording 978 mm, 15 per cent more than the usual 852 mm. “We had forecast heavier than normal rain in many parts of the state,” he said.

The damage caused by the floods had adverse consequences on the state’s infrastructure and its population. According to official data, 25 people died, 84 houses were damaged and 2,077 houses were partially damaged. Compensation of ₹1.20 lakh per completely damaged house and up to ₹50,000 for partially damaged houses have been ordered, he said.

Crop damage also affected large areas across the state. Heavy rains are reported to have destroyed 74,993 hectares of agricultural land and 30,941 hectares of horticultural crops. Siddaramaiah assured relief and said the district collectors have been directed to carry out a joint survey within a week to accurately assess the losses. “A joint investigation into crop damage is underway and will be completed in three to four days. Compensation for these losses is imminent,” he said during the meeting.

Karnataka’s reservoirs are almost at full capacity. With a total storage capacity of 895.62 TMC, they currently hold 871.26 TMC, a drastic increase from 505.81 TMC in the same period last year. Siddaramaiah said: “Sufficient funds are in place for flood relief works, with ₹666.96 crores available in District Collector and Tahsildar accounts.

In Bengaluru, which witnessed its third highest rainfall in October at 275 mm, the CM said efforts were underway to prevent recurring disasters from overflowing rivers. “When I was chief minister earlier, I had ordered cleaning of all encroachments on the Raj canals, but incomplete work led to risks of repeated floods,” he remarked.

Plans to construct retaining walls along 173 km of Bengaluru’s Raj Canals have received in-principle approval from the World Bank, and Siddaramaiah expressed hope of starting this project early next year. The United Nations has also proposed ₹2,000 crore in financial assistance for these projects.

For road and infrastructure repairs in Bangalore, the CM revealed that a ₹A 669 crore proposal is in the works, and ₹275 crore has been earmarked by the National Disaster Management Authority for widening of bridges and development of lakes. Emergency fund ₹50 crore is allocated to improve canal infrastructure around local lakes, while 12,553 km of rural roads and 1,106 minor bridges have been affected by rainfall damage in Karnataka.

Additionally, the state government has implemented new flood management protocols. “We have set up additional control rooms in 63 sub-divisions and eight zones to effectively manage flood responses,” he said.