Bengaluru rain: Thunderstorm, more downpour predicted in Silicon City | Photos1/9 One of the most modern cities in South India, Bengaluru has been flooded. It has received heavy rainfall. The situation is slated to remain the same. In Silicon City, the weather office has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall till September 9. Heavy downpour is predicted in other parts of Karnataka too.The torrential rain not only submerged arterial roads, inundated posh apartment complexes and homes, but also snapped power lines, and resulted in traffic jams. To rescue residents from submerged areas, boats and even tractors are deployed.Here are some pictures which will show you the gravity of the situation. Have a look:2/9 A motorist falls while navigating his way through a flooded street after heavy rainfall in Bangalore, India, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. Life for many in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru was disrupted on Tuesday after two days of torrential rains set off long traffic snarls, widespread power cuts and heavy floods that swept into homes and submerged roads. (AP Photo) Firefighters help evacuate residents from a flooded area after heavy rainfall in Bangalore, India, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. Life for many in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru was disrupted on Tuesday after two days of torrential rains set off long traffic snarls, widespread power cuts and heavy floods that swept into homes and submerged roads. (AP Photo) A view of a flooded area after heavy rainfall in Bangalore, India, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. Life for many in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru was disrupted on Tuesday after two days of torrential rains set off long traffic snarls, widespread power cuts and heavy floods that swept into homes and submerged roads. (AP Photo) Ramnagar: A bus partially submerged at a flooded underpass on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway following heavy monsoon downpour at Ramnagar, Karnataka, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022. (PTI Photo) Ramnagar: People push a car stuck on the flooded Bengaluru-Mysuru highway following heavy monsoon downpour at Ramnagar, Karnataka, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022. (PTI Photo) Bengaluru: Commuters push a car stuck on the waterlogged Outer Ring Road after heavy monsoon rains, near Bellandur in Bengaluru, Tuesday, Sep. 6, 2022. (PTI Photo) Bengaluru: Migrant people shift with their belongings from a flooded locality after heavy monsoon rains, in Bellandur, Bengaluru, Tuesday, Sep. 6, 2022. (PTI Photo) Bengaluru: A tractor being used to evacuate people stranded at the waterlogged Yemalur area after heavy monsoon rains, in Bengaluru, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. (PTI Photo)
Logistics, good or bad, are driven by the states and the commerce ministry has a LEADS (Logistics Ease Across Different States) report, based on perceptions. The 2023 version was released in December. Since states are heterogenous, in the reporting, they are divided into four groups—coastal, landlocked, north-east, and UTs. States that do well are called achievers. Nomenclature matters. Thus, states that are middling aren’t called average. They are called fast movers. States that are sub-par are called aspirers. Let me highlight coastal states, since 75% of export cargo is estimated to originate from them. Among coastal states, ones that do well are Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The ones that lag are Goa, Odisha, and West Bengal. While India’s logistics performance may have improved over time, that’s not true of every state. Some have slipped. Most states have a state-level logistics policy, including Goa and Odisha. West Bengal, bottom of the pecking order in the coastal category, doesn’t have one. To quote from LEADS 2023, “Looking ahead, the State (West Bengal) could benefit from formulating a State Logistics Master Plan and State Logistics Policy to drive efficiency improvements and facilitate investments within the logistics sector and undertake consultation with the logistics stakeholders for educating and informing them about the initiatives State is undertaking for the development and improvement of logistics sector.”
Logistics has been talked about for a long time and India has also focused on improving performance. We are now getting some precise data on measurement and quantification. That helps.
Bibek Debroy, chairman, EAC-PM. Views are personal.