Tanisha Rana
Published on: September 7, 2022 at 22:42 IST
The Karnataka High Court ordered the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to establish ward-wise grievance redressal centres on Wednesday in order to address the issues that the general public is experiencing as a result of the recent severe rains in the city [Vijayan Menon vs. Secretary & Anr.].
Acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice S. Vishwajit Shetty’s division bench bemoaned the situation in Bengaluru, where the city’s people’ everyday lives have been negatively impacted by the city’s overflowed highways.
“All the drains are full. Roads are full of water. People are suffering. Have you started a complaint redressal centre for this?” The BBMP attorney was questioned by the Bench.
The BBMP’s attorney, V Shreenidhi, told the court that authorities are working nonstop to resolve the problem, but the Bench also ordered the creation of ward-specific grievance redressal centres.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) emphasising Bengaluru’s poor road conditions was being heard in the High Court. It was filed in 2015.
The BBMP Chief Engineer had already been ordered to appear, and the court had previously voiced its dismay at the appalling state of the city’s roadways.
BBMP officials were also criticised by the Court for their inactivity despite court orders requiring them to repair potholes quickly.
The municipal organisation was instructed to do its job in this respect within 36 hours by a Bench made up of Justice SR Krishna Kumar and then-Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi in April of this year.
In the hearing, the Bench made a statement that, “First you blame traffic, then you blame infrastructure, then the rains, for years together, and other agencies. What is left for you to blame, how many people will you go on passing the buck to? We just want the roads to be repaired and you are not getting the work started…”
