Apartment residents lose tranquility as Bescom snips power connection

For the residents of the two blocks comprising about 400 flats at Mantri Tranquil Apartments in Gubbalala near Uttarahalli, it is tranquility lost for the last ten days as the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) has cut the power supply.

The Bescom initiated the action following a letter from the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) stating that Block-C and Block-D of Mantri Tranquil have encroached upon the natural canal, known as Rajakaluve in Kannada.

The canal was linked to the adjacent Venkatarayana Kere in Gubbalala and the Subramanyapura Lake.

The action was taken based on a survey sketch prepared by the Deputy Director of Land Records (DDLR) of Bangalore Urban District last year and attested by the revenue officials including Bangalore South Tahsildar on December 6, 2013.

The Bescom Managing Director, Pankaj Pandey confirmed to Deccan Herald on Wednesday that the power supply to these two blocks has been disconnected following a written request from the BBMP.

For the last ten days, since the electricity has been disconnected, diesel generator sets of these two blocks are running 24x7.

This sudden blow came just 20 days after the Propcare Real Estate Management Private Limited, a venture of Mantri Developers, took over the maintenance of the Mantri Tranquil from Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), a property management firm.

A senior engineer in the BBMP's Storm Water Drain (SWD) division said the survey was conducted following a High Court order to evict encroachments from the canals and storm water drains in Bangalore.

The High Court order was specific that the City lakes cannot be restored without restoring canals, that have also been encroached upon. He added that the eviction of encroachment of this canal in Survey Number-7 of Gubbalala village has become inevitable as it has ruined the watershed region of lakes in the downstream.

Mantri Tranquil has not only encroached upon the rajakaluve but also lets the untreated sewage into the lakes in the downstream.

A report prepared by the regional officer (Rajarajeshwari Nagar division) of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) confirms that untreated water from the Mantri Tranquil apartment was responsible for the pathetic condition of the lake.

It is learnt that Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) of the Mantri Tranquil is not operational for the last ten days due to the disconnection of power supply.