BENGALURU: Residents residing in the Cross roads of Kanakagiri, in Kalkere village, near Horamavu, struggle to step out of their houses. Stagnant sewage water outside their homes has made their lives miserable, an issue that they allege is completely manmade.
Residents in the 8th, 9th and 10th Cross, affected badly due to the sewage, spoke about their plight to TNIE but insisted on anonymity as they feared a backlash from influential individuals allegedly responsible for the mess.
According to them, a local landlord, K P Vinod Kumar, who is politically well connected, has allegedly diverted sewage flowing from a drain near his guest house to another drain which is unable to bear the discharge load and overflows causing problems to all residents here.
A resident explained the issue thus, “The untreated sewage from two apartment complexes here is let out into the Kanakagiri Main Road and the flow gets blocked near the guest house. It is diverted to the Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna Road via narrow drains and then flows to the Kalkere Lake.”
A longtime resident on one of these Cross roads said, "Imagine our plight. We have spent between Rs 70 lakh to Rs 80 lakh for our homes here. And when we step out, the water outside is full of worms. It is clearly not rainwater but sewage."
Another resident said, "The stench is unbearable. We dare not open our doors or windows. Daily life has become extremely tough. Imagine the impact this will have on the health of all of us."
Vinod Kumar, the proprietor of Vinod Guest House, located at the junction of KSR Road and Kalkere Main Road, denies his role in all of it. He claimed, "I am a commoner like everyone. I did not use any political influence. BBMP on their own did this diversion recently when I brought the issue of water stagnant in front of my house to the attention of the local engineers here."
Vikram S, Assistant Engineer, BBMP, conceded that a drain had been diverted near the guest house. "It was only a diversion of 20 ft to 30 ft. After the gap it has been routed again to the drain it is supposed to go. It is not the reason for any problems."
He also said that tenders have been called for by BBMP to create a drainage and road network across 110 villages, including Kalkere. "Work will begin on October 25 and within three or four months, residents will get some relief here," he said.