Bengaluru man serves Rs 50 lakh notice to BBMP for agony caused by 'bad roads'

A 43-year-old resident of Bengaluru has taken a stern stand against the bad roads in the city by sending a legal notice to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

In his notice, he has sought Rs 50 lakh as compensation for the "physical agony and emotional trauma" caused by broken and unusable roads in the city.

'Failure to maintain civic infrastructure'

Dhivya Kiran, a resident of Richmond Town, has said in his notice that despite being a tax-paying citizen, he has been a victim of “continuous physical hardship and mental agony” because of BBMP’s “blatant failure to maintain basic civic infrastructure,” including “deep potholes, broken and uneven pathways, and unusable road surfaces.”

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The notice details that Kiran suffered “severe neck and back pain, which has been medically linked to the jerks and trauma caused while commuting on these treacherous roads.”

'Nine visits to the hospital'

"My client states that he was forced to visit five orthopaedic specialists due to the intensifying pain. He made four emergency visits to St Philomena's Hospital, undergoing injections and procedures to relieve acute agony. Further, he has been on multiple medications and painkillers to manage the condition," Advocate KV Laveen, who served the notice on behalf of Kiran on May 14, said.

He also said he experienced “episodes of crying out in pain, loss of sleep, anxiety, and mental distress,” which have severely affected his daily life and work.

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Due to the difficult nature of travelling in these roads due to his health, he is unable to use autos, two-wheelers and even cabs for his commute, thus limiting his independence and mobility, impacting both his personal and professional commitments.

Rs 50 lakh compensation demanded

The notice demands BBMP pay Rs 50 lakh within 15 days for “medical expenses (past and anticipated), emotional distress and mental anguish, physical suffering and loss of normal life, costs of travel for medical consultations,” and the “overall trauma caused by your failure to maintain public roads.”

The notice also sought a payment of Rs 10,000 towards the charges on the legal notice itself, issued to the BBMC.

Warning of further action

Failure to respond will lead to “necessary further legal actions and criminal cases,” including filing a civil suit for damages, initiating a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Karnataka High Court, and approaching the Lokayukta and State Human Rights Commission, is the warning given.

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There was no immediate response from the BBMP on the notice.

The plight of Bengaluru commuters because of broken and damaged roads has become all the more evident during the heavy rainfall on Sunday (May 18) and Monday (May 19), resulting in heavy waterlogging, long traffic snarls, and severe damage to public infrastructure.