Flat owners to unleash voter power during polls

Tired of being called the Dodgers of the ballot box, apartment dwellers are enrolling in droves to cast their votes in the May 12 Assembly polls.

"Politicians say apartment dwellers do not vote, which is the primary reason for the discrimination and harassment we face," Vidya Goggi, joint secretary of Bangalore Apartments' Federation (BAF) said, revealing that thousands enrolling now are determined to change the prevailing image about them.

Over the past few months, BAF has been running a campaign called AARAMB (Arise! Awake! Residents of Apartments in Mahanagara of Bengaluru), nudging several apartment dwellers to register in the electoral rolls. They have also created a charter of demands on discrimination and harassment by civic agencies.

"We currently have 250 apartment associations as registered members, representing more than 40,000 flats with more than 1 lakh voters," BAF president R Balasubramanian said, revealing the astounding numbers.

"We are also in touch with 500 more apartment associations, representing an additional 60,000 flats with about 1.5 lakh voters," he added.

The apartment owners wield no influence and often find themselves discriminated by the agencies. "Our water bills are exorbitant compared to individual houses," said federation vice-president Muralidhar Rao.

"BWSSB and Bescom charge commercial rates, while dues on garbage and wastewater are collected without providing the service. Many apartments do not have basic amenities like sewage and water connections. We have highlighted these issues in the charter," Rao elaborated.

On April 22, the federation plans to hold a panel discussion with representatives of political parties on the issues listed out in the charter. The event would take place at the Chowdiah Memorial Hall.