Basapura Kere 1 sewage piping stopped

Based on a message received by <savebangalorelakes@googlegroups.com>

From: rajesh jampana <rajesh.jampana@gmail.com>

Date: Mon, Jan 28, 2013 at 3:22 PM

The owner of the factory Blend Pack Limited started digging the road and is Laying a 10 inch pipeline over 400 meters to the raja kalve of Basapura Kere 1.  This development unsettled the residents nearby the lake as we are already suffering with ground water contamination with sewage and this new pipeline will certainly add chemical waste to deal with. There are two other factories on the path of the pipeline and we are more than certain that all of them will use the pipeline.

The concerned residents approached the Electronic City Police Station for immediate action by stopping the pipeline digging work. The inspector in the station sent his mobile patrol to fetch the owner/in-charge for follow-up.  The inspector then received a call from whosoever informing him that BBMP has given permission and we are given the phone number of an AEE whose name I would not like to mention now.  The AEE informed that he has given the permission, but nothing else. Our queries on how can permission be given has no answer. The inspector however registered the case with no action being taken.

Subsequently we called BBMP contacts who informed that permission cannot be given for laying private sewage pipeline and advised us to register a complaint with secretary Pollution Control Board. Though we are assured that action will be taken, from our prior experience we have little hope. We however are registering the complaint tomorrow.

We spoke with the factory owner yesterday who happens to the all India president of the lorry owners congress. We kindly requested him to stop laying the pipeline as it will affect the lives of residents adversely. His response was that he is in the locality for 40 years and he has been serving the locals ever since. He claims since BBMP does not provide drainage, he is making his own arrangements and nobody can stop him. We have given him alternate suggestions like keeping a treatment plant in his factory or connecting the sewage to the main drain on Hosur Road which he was unwilling to even consider.

29-Jan-2013

I raised an online compliant with BMTF.  We will raise it with bbmp and pcb chairmans as well.

I have good news to share :-). Yesterday night we residents stopped the JCB from digging by making noise and then calling MLA who supported us. Police arrived and we made the JCB refill the pits and made it clear pipeline work will not be allowed.

We will however report to PCB today.