Bengaluru floods: Set up grievances cell in all wards, Karnataka HC to BBMP

BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday directed the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to set up special grievance redressal cells in each ward immediately to address the problems of the residents affected by the heavy rain and floods.

Also directing the Palike to notify all ward level engineers to attend to the grievance of residents immediately, a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice S Vishwajith Shetty ordered the civic body to prepare a proposal to set up sluice gates in lakes so that water can be released prior to monsoon.

The BBMP should submit the proposal expeditiously to the state government for approval to install sluice gates for lakes to manage outflow of water from lakes during the rainy season to prevent floods, the court observed. Pointing out that the drains are blocked by dumping of debris, the court asked the Palike counsel whether any temporary special grievance cell has been established.

“If such a grievance mechanism is made, somebody should be accountable for,” the court said. Meanwhile, BBMP counsel informed the court that 28 areas were affected. It also told the court the reasons for the flooding and also steps taken to address the grievances.  

On potholes
The court directed the BBMP to furnish details of the progress made in filling up of potholes after July 26, 2022. The court issued all these directives during the hearing of a PIL filed by Vijayan Menon and two others in 2015 about the condition of roads in Bengaluru.