Bengaluru Rains: Cognizant Goes WFH Amid Flooding On Roads, Will Other Companies Follow Suit?

SOURCE : NEW18 NEWS

Last Updated:May 20, 2025, 16:13 IST

Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan urged companies to declare two days of work from home due to the ongoing rains.

Bengaluru Rains: A relentless downpour from Sunday night into Monday morning inundated Bengaluru’s tech areas, severely disrupting daily commutes and causing chaos in major IT centers. Key areas like Koramangala, HSR Layout, BTM Layout, and Marathahalli were heavily affected, with major roads and underpasses submerged. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Karnataka government reported that Bengaluru experienced approximately 240 mm of rainfall over two days, with 104 mm recorded on Sunday, May 20.

In response to the intense rain over the past two days, US-based IT services company Cognizant Technology Solutions has instructed employees to work from home on May 20.

The firm, headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey, employs around 40,000 people in Bengaluru, a key IT hub in India. Many tech professionals were caught off guard without any formal work-from-home directives from most companies. Infosys, India’s second-largest IT services provider, practices a three-day work-from-office policy, suggesting that employees likely chose to work from home.

The Silk Board Junction became nearly impassable as stormwater flooded service roads, choking underpasses, and halting interstate bus movement from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. At Manyata Tech Park, numerous employees arrived to find entry points submerged in knee-deep water, forcing many to turn back. Photos and videos on X (formerly Twitter) showed stranded commuters and flooded office entrances.

This led to severe flooding in multiple residential zones, with over 20 lakes on the verge of overflowing, underpasses closed, flyovers flooded, and public transportation significantly impacted. Consequently, the Bengaluru traffic police shut down a section of Hosur Road between Silk Board and Rupena Agrahara from 9 AM to 11 AM on May

Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan urged companies to declare two days of work from home due to the ongoing rains. “All companies in Bengaluru, including Infosys, must declare two days of work from home due to rains,” the BJP MP wrote on X.

Karnataka deputy chief minister and Bengaluru development minister DK Shivakumar stated that the government is addressing the city’s deteriorating infrastructure with long-term, sustainable solutions. “The problems we face today are not new. They have been neglected for years across different administrations.”

First Published:

May 20, 2025, 16:13 IST