BENGALURU: With nearly 1,000 staffers of various levels in BWSSB deputed on duty to polling booths in the city, many areas are facing numerous problems with none to attend to piling water and sewage complaints. On May 9, when the staff had to report for a training given by the Election Commission, the BWSSB call centre received a record 892 complaints. Lack of drinking water supply, blockage of sewage lines, particularly due to heavy rains, and borewell problems were high. The call centre usually averages around 500 complaints.
Drinking water problems poured in from New Thippasandra, Banashankari 1st Stage, Indira Nagar and Johnson Market, said a staffer. According to a top BWSSB official, “Half of our staff strength have been deputed. We are a bit helpless right now, but are doing our best to manage.” While valve men, meter readers and water inspectors have been deputed to help the public cast their vote in the role of third polling officials, assistant engineers have been posted as Polling Officers, Additional Executive Engineers as Vigilance Officers and Engineers as Sectoral Officers, he added.
Thursday (May 11) will see the same problem since the staff need to go to different areas and collect all the required polling material and of course, the next day will be the polling day, he added. Engineer-in-Chief (In-Charge) Kemparamaiah said, “We are doing our best to manage by using the resources available at our disposal.”
The number of complaints received up to 7 pm on May 10 stood at 305. “Our staffers were back working today but it will be a problem again tomorrow (Thursday),” another official said.
While the general time period given for an issue raised through mail or SMS or call is a period of 24 hours to 48 hours, many complaints are on pending list since Wednesday.
Some Metro station entries/exits to be closed on May 12
Bengaluru: The entry/exit doors at some Metro stations will be shut on the Polling Day since many security personnel of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited have been deployed for election duty, informed an official release.