“Either you (railways) have dumped those barrels in that backyard or someone else has dumped it under your control and supervision or consent or connivance,” the Palike notice said. However, the Railways has claimed that there were only nine barrels in the area as opposed to 40 barrels as stated by the BBMP notice, raising the question: “What happened to the remaining 31 barrels?”

BBMP officials have stated that the nearby slum dwellers had in fact taken the empty barrels to sell them off without knowing the content inside.

In a straight forward accusation, the BBMP has warned the South Western Railways that in case they “do not take remedial measures deemed fit by them (railways) then they are liable to face criminal prosecution or civil action in the appropriate courts”.
Meanwhile, railway officials have termed the matter as “unfortunate” saying one government agency has sent a notice to another.