BBMP inaction bad enough, its ‘action’ is worse!

BBMP inaction bad enough, its ‘action’ is worse!
Residents near the Wheelers Road flyover wanted the service road underneath relaid. Instead, they got damaged power and water lines, thanks to ham-handed civic workers
B K LAKSHMIKANTHA


It is a classic example of jumping from the frying pan into the fire. A few days ago, members of the Sarvagnanagar Citizens’ Forum had protested against the pathetic condition of the service road below the Wheelers Road flyover. BBMP did respond, but ended up making the lives of the residents more miserable by damaging the underground water and power lines!
It was a chaotic scene on Tuesday morning as around 10 to 15 men from BBMP started digging the road. “They were supposed to dig to a minimum depth to level the road. But to our shock and dismay, they dug so deep that they cut the telephone lines and damaged the main water and sewage lines,” said Satya Prakash, who runs a cultural academy.
The BBMP-constructed flyover was to be inaugurated on Jan 26. But with the residents protesting against the condition of the service road, the civic body decided to take up asphalting of the road and throw open the flyover later.
NO MAP, NO CLUE
The residents blame the situation on the irregular and unscientific way in which the BBMP men have gone about their work. “Three weeks back, the opposite side of the service road was dug, but it has still not been asphalted and the residents are suffering. Now they have taken up this side of the road, only to make a mess of it. The BBMP men do not have any map showing the location of the underground utilities,” Satya Prakash said.
“Around 30 residents on both sides of the road have been badly affected. We are not able to move out of our houses. With the road dug deep and water flowing out of the damaged pipelines, it has become a mess. We cannot take our vehicles out, or park outside, or even walk on the road,” said a resident.
When the residents questioned BWSSB officials at the site, they were told that BBMP had taken up the work without consulting them. “The BBMP contractor told us that his workers have taken festival leave from Jan 14 and will resume work only on Monday,” Satya Prakash said, adding that the debris from the roaddigging had been dumped in front of residents’ houses.
‘PRETTY’ ASSURANCE
Citizens Forum secretary A J Padmanabhan said, “BWSSB and BBMP
officials have told us it will take one and a half months to complete the road. They have assured us that they will create car and two-wheeler parking space and beautify the sides of the road.”
When Bangalore Mirror contacted H C Jayachandra, chief engineer, BBMP (East Zone), he said BBMP would incur an expense of Rs 2 crore to asphalt the one-km stretch. “We dug the road to a depth of nine inches, but in certain places the underground utilities were damaged by the JCB machine. Both BWSSB and BESCOM men are working to relay the utilities. After that is completed, we will asphalt the road in 15 days’ time,” he said.