Residents protest over pending work in Bengaluru apartment; go powerless for 24 hours

Bengaluru: Residents of flats in an incomplete apartment complex developed by Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) had to go without power for 24 hours for having protested over an issue pertaining to their enclave. The apartment complex is at Gunjur near Varthur.

The residents met BDA commissioner N Manjula on Wednesday and requested her to speed up the pending work in their apartment complex. 

The contractors wanted to place a transformer in the temporary children’s play area by the time they returned home. But the women protested due to safety issues. 

The families realised by evening that power supply to their homes had been discontinued forcing them to spend the night without electricity.

Power supply was restored only after 24 hours once MLA Aravind Limbavali intervened.

As the designated play area is yet to be set up, the children use a temporary spot that was created by the residents, reports said. A resident reportedly said that the contractors came on Wednesday with earth movers to install a transformer, which can be dangerous for children. When the women protested the placement of the transformer in that area, the contractor cut electricity supply to the flats, reports said.

Another flat owner reportedly said that though they sought help from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Bangalore Electricity Supply Company and BDA, but none helped them. They even tried reaching out to the contractor. But he did not respond as well. 

Flats in the apartment were built for economically and socially backward classes in December 2013. They were allotted through a lottery. The then chief minister Siddaramaiah had directed officials to complete the project within a year. But they missed the deadline in 2015 and November 2017.

• BDA
• apartments
• electricity
• contractor
• power supply
• Bengaluru
• Karnataka