Bengaluru residents allege construction work in Cooke Town was putting them at risk

Civic

The builder however claimed that he was not doing anything illegal and was trying to build a basement.

Soumya Chatterjee

It was on July 10 that two buildings in Bengaluru’s Pulikeshi Nagar, a prime area in the city, collapsed, resulting in the death of at least four persons. The building collapse was blamed on illegal construction process in blatant violation of rules. Now, residents of nearby Macpherson Road in Cooke Town fear that their houses might suffer the same fate due to heavy drilling work done by a private builder in their neighbourhood. They allege the drilling and stone cutting is causing vibration in their buildings. Residents of the area complain that the heavy drilling work done by the landowner for the past one year has exposed them to stone dust and smoke from diesel engines, in their otherwise peaceful neighbourhood. One resident said, “We have been complaining to the BBMP officials but there is no reaction. We are worried about our own safety as this kind of heavy digging can affect our building as well. Will the authorities wake up only when a calamity strikes?” Unhappy with the reluctance of BBMP officials to probe the matter, the residents have approached central minister and Bengaluru North MP Sadananda Gowda seeking remedy. Upon receiving the complaint, the Union Minister has written to the City Police Commissioner and other authorities, asking them to resolve the matter. On the Minister’s suggestion, the residents also met Mining and Geology Department officials who have issued a notice to the land owner. Moreover, the residents are planning to approach the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board over the noise pollution. Recordings made by the residents using a mobile app indicate that the drilling work has caused noise levels to rise to as much as 78 decibels which is way above the permissible limit of 55 decibels. Another resident said, “We have been suffering for the past one year. The BBMP officials failed to turn up even when the Mining Department came for the investigation. We had earlier managed to stop the land owner from using gelatine sticks by approaching the police. But they have been continuing work with heavy machinery.” BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar told TNM on Tuesday said that he will instruct officials to promptly carry out a spot check. On Wednesday, officials attached to Pulikeshi Nagar Police Station inspected the spot and stopped the work. However, the builder, Rafeeq denied the allegations and said there was never any plan to ue gelatin sticks. “We are not doing anything illegal and have all the necessary sanctions from the BBMP. We are digging to build a basement. There is no issue with the Mining Department as well. They have said that we have to pay royalty if we find precious stone or granite,” he said. 

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