Bengaluru rains paralyse tech hubs: cognizant employees told to work from home amid chaos

TECH CORRIDORS IN KEY NEIGHBOURHOODS LIKE KORAMANGALA AND HSR LAYOUT WERE SUBMERGED, CRIPPLING TRANSPORT AND OFFICE ACCESS. OTHER IT MAJORS LIKE INFOSYS AND L&T TECHNOLOGY SERVICES ARE

YET TO ANNOUNCE ANY FORMAL ADVISORY New Delhi: The recent torrential rains in Bengaluru have left the city reeling under water, prompting US-based IT services firm Cognizant to issue a

work-from-home (WFH) directive for its employees on May 20. The move comes amid widespread waterlogging and traffic chaos across major tech corridors in India’s IT capital. Cognizant employs

nearly 40,000 professionals in Bengaluru. While it acted swiftly in light of the extreme weather, many other tech giants have not yet responded to the crisis with formal WFH advisories.

BENGALURU’S IT HUBS UNDER WATER Between May 18 and 20, Bengaluru recorded over 240 mm of rainfall, with Sunday alone accounting for 104 mm — one of the heaviest rainfalls in recent times.

This has resulted in severe flooding in localities such as Koramangala, HSR Layout, Marathahalli, BTM Layout, and key stretches like the Silk Board Junction and Hosur Road. Major flyovers

and underpasses were submerged, public transport was disrupted, and several lakes nearly overflowed, forcing authorities to shut down portions of the city’s infrastructure. Manyata Tech Park

saw employees turn back due to knee-deep water at entry points. TECH EMPLOYEES STRUGGLE TO REACH OFFICE, EXPECTING WFH FOR NEXT THREE DAYS  While Cognizant acted early, companies like

Infosys and L&T Technology Services have not issued a city-wide directive yet. Sources suggest that Infosys’ three-day office policy might allow flexibility, and L&T Tech’s informal

team-based flexibility continues. Despite the chaos, employees of several companies scrambled for clarity amidst flooded roads and disrupted services. POLITICAL LEADERS CALL FOR ACTION

Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan urged all IT firms to declare WFH for at least two days, citing the public inconvenience. Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar assured citizens that the government

would take sustainable, long-term steps to solve the city's crumbling infrastructure. As heavy rain is expected to continue, tech workers in Bengaluru remain hopeful that more IT

companies will follow Cognizant’s lead in prioritising employee safety.