Tales of watery woes pour out

Tales of watery woes pour out
Monday July 21 2008 03:50 IST

Express News Service

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BANGALORE: Tired of appealing to the civic authorities, residents of HAL II Stage held a public grievance meeting on Sunday with the area MLA S Raghu.

The accumulation of silt and filth in the long open storm water drain is the main cause of their distress. The storm water drain has sanitary water pipes connected, which causes it to overflow into the surrounding houses during the rains, emitting a foul smell. President of HAL II Stage Residents Association M Chandra Reddy said: "The population in the area has multiplied in the last few years. The sanitary pipes laid long ago cannot take the load. Hence, sanitary pipes from all houses are connected to this open drain, causing the foul smell."

Another resident V Muralidharan complained about the increasing number of rag pickers at HAL II stage. "There are many vacant sites in the vicinity. Rag pickers have begun to reside on these sites and dirty the surroundings by dumping garbage. They get stolen items like iron rods and manhole lids and create a din during the nights."

Around 300 residents came together to express their grievances like the increasing dog menace, inadequate drinking water, theft of manhole lids, foul smells due to stagnant water and poor park maintenance.