Bengaluru Flood-Like Situation: Employees Demand Work-From-Home As Traffic Gridlock Worsens

Relentless evening rain pushed several parts of Bengaluru into chaos on Monday, with flooded roads, crawling traffic and long commute delays prompting fresh demands for work-from-home arrangements from employees across the city.

The worst-hit stretch remained the Outer Ring Road (ORR) corridor between Mahadevapura and Manyata Tech Park, where vehicles moved at a painfully slow pace during peak office hours. Traffic maps showed the route covered in red for several kilometres as office-goers struggled to make their way home amid continuous rainfall.

Areas around RMZ Infinity, KR Puram, Tin Factory, Benniganahalli, Banaswadi and Nagawara witnessed some of the heaviest congestion, while connecting roads towards Hebbal and Manyata Tech Park also remained packed for hours.

As videos of waterlogged roads and stranded vehicles flooded social media, many employees urged companies to temporarily allow remote work until weather conditions improve. Several users pointed out that ongoing metro work, damaged roads and poor drainage systems are worsening Bengaluru's rain-time traffic crisis.

The situation became more difficult in low-lying areas and underpasses, where rainwater accumulation disrupted vehicle movement and created bottlenecks across surrounding roads. Commuters also raised concerns over the repeated flooding at the Cantonment Underpass, calling it one of the city's most problematic stretches during monsoon conditions.

Meanwhile, the Bengaluru Traffic Police issued advisories for multiple areas witnessing congestion due to waterlogging and rain-related disruptions.

Traffic movement slowed significantly near GRT Junction, Kalyan Nagar, Hennur Cross, Udaya TV Underpass and Cauvery Junction, among other busy stretches.

Authorities also warned that metro construction activity near Veerannapalya and the Outer Ring Road KEB Junction had further reduced road space, worsening congestion after the rain.

In another incident, a fallen tree near the ISKCON temple in Malleshwaram affected movement towards Mahalakshmi Metro Station, while waterlogging at Mekhri Circle impacted traffic towards JC Nagar.

Long queues of BMTC buses, cabs, cars and two-wheelers were seen across major roads late into the evening. Many bikers stopped under flyovers and metro pillars to wait for the rain to reduce before continuing their journey.

With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting more rain in Bengaluru over the next 24 hours, concerns are growing over continued traffic disruptions and difficult commutes across the city's major office corridors.