BENGALURU: It has been nine years since the housing project of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) at Gunjur, near Varthur, commenced. Billed as a "Dream Housing Project" for the public owing to its affordable pricing, all the 644 flats got sold during the time of allocation in 2012-2013.
The Phase-I project has 84 3-BHK flats, 168 2-BHK flats and 392 1-BHK flats in its 23 blocks which rise up to seven floors. December 2014 was fixed as the deadline when the then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched the project.
Residents here spell out these woes: lack of drinking water supply, absence of permanent power supply, non-functional sewage treatment plant (STP), absence of fire safety clearance, erratic working of lifts, and an incomplete compound wall.
A total of 120 families have moved in here three years ago on an assurance given by BDA that by the revised deadline of July 2018, all would be in place.
"Flat buyers are frustrated. The STP cannot work in the absence of a permanent power supply. The lifts work on and off. It has been three years since work on the compound wall started," Narayana Shetty, a 2BHK flat owner, rues.
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Another resident BT Venkatesh, who paid Rs 28 lakh for his 3-BHK flat, said, "Due to the temporary power connection which causes much fluctuation, I have lost equipment worth Rs 20,000." Even without many amenities in place, the BDA has begun construction of 218 more flats under Phase-2 project.
A top BDA official claimed they were trying to provide the amenities but factors beyond their control prevented their completion. "BWSSB has laid the pipeline for water supply but they do not have any water source as of now and it could take time. While we have installed a feeder line from a sub-station beyond Gunjur village, BESCOM is yet to energise it. This is because a few localites have written to it saying we have built project on a rajakaluve violating NGT norms," he explained.
The official added, "The compound wall is incomplete because an individual laying stake to the land in this portion has filed a case against it being built. Similarly, we had an 8m road around the project. Localites, with the support of an MLA, extended that road to 12m thereby reducing the land for our property. The fire safety department says there would not be enough space for their vehicles to pass through in case of emergencies and have withheld clearance."