<p>For water tankers, the target is enormous: they have to serve almost half of Bengaluru.<br /><br /></p>.<p>As summer sets in, the cut-throat competition among various water-supplying firms, thriving under the nose of a helpless Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), literally turns the killer, as was evident from Thursday’s ghastly accident at Kempapura junction near Hebbal which claimed two lives. <br /><br />The BWSSB, whose primary role is to quench the thirst of citizens, has given in to the water tanker mafia whose tentacles are spread across the City. Neither the BWSSB nor the traffic police care to take note of illegal tankers running in the City without valid permission or even the registration number. Political patronage is the obvious reason for the government authorities to turn a blind eye to the rampant illegalities. <br /><br />Mohan Kumar, a member of a residents’ welfare association in KR Puram, says, “Come summer and tractors fitted with water tankers make the roads their playground. They operate in residential areas. Most of them neither have registration number plates nor vehicle documents. The driver will not even have a licence.” <br /><br />According to Kumar, when residents question the drivers, they are bullied. “Complaining to the police hasn’t helped because the law enforcers are hand in glove with these drivers and take bribe from them,” he claimed. <br /><br />A few days ago, residents of Arakere under the Mico Layout police station limits had warned tractor drivers against plying in the neighbourhood. But they defied the diktat. One of them even speeded in the area, testing the residents’ patience, according to a senior police officer. <br /><br />When senior police officers visited the neighbourhood and questioned the residents, they complained that water tanker drivers and owners of tractors were behaving as if they owned the road. <br /><br />“They threaten us with dire consequences if we ask them to drive sensibly. These drivers aren’t closely knit and hence difficult to be monitored. They cannot be controlled because their business is booming thanks to scarcity of water, especially during summer. But there are numerous complaints about these errant drivers and we’ll take appropriate action against them,” a senior police officer said. <br /><br />M N Babu Rajendra Prasad, DCP, (Traffic-East), acknowledged that the menace existed. “We are planning to launch a drive against these water tankers. We have gathered details about such vehicles in Whitefield, Devanahalli, Hebbal, Chikkajala and other places. We’ll take up the matter with transport officials and ask them to book the drivers for violations. Their vehicles will be seized. We are aware that complaints against water tankers are on the rise. It’s time to clamp down on them. We won’t let the errant drivers off easily,” he promised. <br /><br />Political backing <br /><br />Water tankers often have the poster of a local politician because the leader would have sponsored free water. This way, drivers get away with their activities. <br /><br />Previous incident <br /><br />On December, 2014, a 18-year-old man was run over by a water tanker near Wipro Avenue Road in Electronics City. A mob gathered at the spot and set the water tanker afire and thrashed the driver black and blue.</p>
<p>For water tankers, the target is enormous: they have to serve almost half of Bengaluru.<br /><br /></p>.<p>As summer sets in, the cut-throat competition among various water-supplying firms, thriving under the nose of a helpless Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), literally turns the killer, as was evident from Thursday’s ghastly accident at Kempapura junction near Hebbal which claimed two lives. <br /><br />The BWSSB, whose primary role is to quench the thirst of citizens, has given in to the water tanker mafia whose tentacles are spread across the City. Neither the BWSSB nor the traffic police care to take note of illegal tankers running in the City without valid permission or even the registration number. Political patronage is the obvious reason for the government authorities to turn a blind eye to the rampant illegalities. <br /><br />Mohan Kumar, a member of a residents’ welfare association in KR Puram, says, “Come summer and tractors fitted with water tankers make the roads their playground. They operate in residential areas. Most of them neither have registration number plates nor vehicle documents. The driver will not even have a licence.” <br /><br />According to Kumar, when residents question the drivers, they are bullied. “Complaining to the police hasn’t helped because the law enforcers are hand in glove with these drivers and take bribe from them,” he claimed. <br /><br />A few days ago, residents of Arakere under the Mico Layout police station limits had warned tractor drivers against plying in the neighbourhood. But they defied the diktat. One of them even speeded in the area, testing the residents’ patience, according to a senior police officer. <br /><br />When senior police officers visited the neighbourhood and questioned the residents, they complained that water tanker drivers and owners of tractors were behaving as if they owned the road. <br /><br />“They threaten us with dire consequences if we ask them to drive sensibly. These drivers aren’t closely knit and hence difficult to be monitored. They cannot be controlled because their business is booming thanks to scarcity of water, especially during summer. But there are numerous complaints about these errant drivers and we’ll take appropriate action against them,” a senior police officer said. <br /><br />M N Babu Rajendra Prasad, DCP, (Traffic-East), acknowledged that the menace existed. “We are planning to launch a drive against these water tankers. We have gathered details about such vehicles in Whitefield, Devanahalli, Hebbal, Chikkajala and other places. We’ll take up the matter with transport officials and ask them to book the drivers for violations. Their vehicles will be seized. We are aware that complaints against water tankers are on the rise. It’s time to clamp down on them. We won’t let the errant drivers off easily,” he promised. <br /><br />Political backing <br /><br />Water tankers often have the poster of a local politician because the leader would have sponsored free water. This way, drivers get away with their activities. <br /><br />Previous incident <br /><br />On December, 2014, a 18-year-old man was run over by a water tanker near Wipro Avenue Road in Electronics City. A mob gathered at the spot and set the water tanker afire and thrashed the driver black and blue.</p>
