Corporators blast BWSSB for lethargy

The BWSSB was at the receiving end in the BBMP Council on Tuesday as Corporators lambasted it for its failure to solve the drinking water and underground drainage problem in the City.

Finding no BWSSB official in the Council to answer their queries, corporators cutting across party lines, demanded that Venkatraju, the Engineer-In-Chief (EIC) be summoned immediately. When he arrived, he had to face a barrage of questions and recrimination.

As he entered the hall, Venkataraju saw Opposition leader from JD(S), Padmanabha Reddy staging a walk-out, and the BWSSB man was subjected to a volley of questions from corporators.

The laxity and inefficiency of the BWSSB came under attack by Congress corporator Noor Jahan from Kushalnagar. “My pleas have fallen on deaf years at the Council and in BWSSB. My ward is suffering from acute shortage of UGD pipelines and drainage water is entering every house due to non-replacement of the age old drainage pipes. When will I get some reprieve,” she asked. In a bipartisan move, BJP corporator, Gangabyraiah lent support to her.

Corporators from DJ Halli, Nagarabhavi and Kormanagala stood up to lambast the Water Board for their elusive nature when it was required to translate into action. “During his visit to D J Halli, the BWSSB engineer-in-chief promised that in Modi Garden he will lay a sub-line for discharging the drainage water. However, nothing has been done in the past nine months. How long does it take to call for a tender worth Rs six lakh,” Sampath Raj, the ward Corporator asked.

Replying to the lack of UGD lines in the CMC and TMC areas, Venkatraju said the packages to the areas running into 4,000 km were already awarded and that the projects can be undertaken anytime in the next 36 months by the contractors.

Commotion broke out as soon as corporators heard that they will have to wait for another three years for the lines to start functioning. “This would mean that the term of this Council will end before the UGD lines become a reality,” said an appalled Uday Shankar, leader of Opposition.

There was bedlam when Venkataraju stated that the BWSSB was able to replace in a year only 100-150 km of the 4,000 km old pipelines laid in the erstwhile 100 wards, due to traffic.