Digging doesn’t spare upmarket area either

Y Maheswara Reddy

Residents and motorists have been facing inconvenience due to the delay in completing the construction of a storm water drain culvert at Lavelle Road and Vittal Mallya Junction.

Lavelle Road, considered an upmarket residential and commercial hub in the Central Business District (CBD) area, was blacktopped by Bengaluru Smart City Limited (BSCL) hardly one year ago by spending crores of rupees. “We have been suffering for more than a month due to the drain work. The workers are draining water from the drain using water pumps. The entire junction gets dirty every day,’’ said Madan Mohan S, a motorist.

The residents blame the BBMP Storm Water Drains Division for not coordinating with BSCL and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) authorities. They said the SWD engineers failed to inform BSCL engineers about the condition of the storm water drain that is choked with silt. They said that BSCL engineers did not bother to inspect whether the storm water drain is free from silt and garbage before giving nod to the contractor for blacktopping Lavelle Road.

“The more we appeal to BMBP engineers to complete the work the more the work is being delayed on one or the other pretext. Many people have to pass through this junction to visit business establishments and hotels. The silt and dirty water at the junction have become a nuisance for motorists,’’ said Anand P, a motorist.

Attributing the lack of coordination between the BBMP, BWSSB, and BSCL authorities as the main reason for chaos at Lavelle Road and Vittal Mallya Junction, Alok Agarwal, a resident of Lavelle Residency, has said water from the storm water drain overflows whenever heavy rain hits the city. “Dirty water from the overflowing storm water drain entered Lavelle Residency premises during the monsoon. Six residents of Lavelle Residency were affected with dengue recently due to overflow of dirty water from the storm water drain,’’ said Alok Agarwal.

Meanwhile, BBMP assistant executive engineer (storm water drains) Renuka said the storm water drain is choked with silt and garbage. “The drain was not cleaned for quite a long time. Now, we have taken measures to construct the culvert and clear silt,’’ said the assistant executive engineer.

However, a BWSSB engineer said that the BBMP authorities have to take measures to keep the junction clean and neat. “The workers are draining water from the drain to continue construction work. No one should release dirty water onto the road. I hope the BBMP will complete the culvert as early as possible to avoid inconvenience to residents of nearby apartments and motorists,’’ he said.