Residents to pay for repair?

BANGALORE: Broken sewage pipes have now become a common sight in Bangalore, and the recent rainfall only add to the problems that arise due to it. The BBMP has taken up a major project to desilt all the drains in the city.But what most people would be unaware  of is that there are circumstances when the residents are required to pay labour charges to fix the pipes. They also need to purchase their own pipes that needs to be connected to the main pipe. This piece of information sent a shock wave through the residents in Sanjaynagar.The sewage pipeline will be replaced along the entire length of the 50 Feet Road, SP Layout in Sanjaynagar. The individual sewage pipe from each building is then connected to it. The residents had to pay `600 for labour charges and another `300 to purchase the pipes.Kavya, a resident of the locality said, “We were not willing to pay them at all. But the labourers refused to work. They refused point blank if they weren’t going to be paid. They said that they would abandon the work. Hence, we did not have a choice but to pay for it as our pipes were damaged and there was a leak as well. Paying `600 is too much for a job that was done in 10 minutes.” She also mentioned that the work has been in progress for over two weeks.In the process, they have damaged cable wires as well. The residents were not able to access internet for a few days following the work. Jayanth, another resident said, “They conveniently used JCB escavators to remove the pipes from under, which damaged the other wires that were present. They were oblivious to its consequences.”After completing their work they haven’t bothered to cover up the pits properly. City Express found that these huge pits were covered only with mud and have not been levelled yet. Not only is this dangerous but will also prove to be a major liability if heavy downpour occurs. Vijay, a resident said, “It seems like they are building a canal instead of fixing sewage pipes.”According to Venkat Raju, chief engineer BWSSB, “We are changing the entire pipeline system, so the old ones are being replaced. Inevitably the individual pipelines of each building should also be replaced as they will be damaged in the process. There is no provision in our estimates to accommodate for individual pipelines of each building. The residents have to use their own pipes to attach to the main pipe if the distance is less than five metres.” When asked about the labour charges, he said, “That changes from one area to another and also depends on the kind of work done there.”