Pipes piled alongside the road had become such a common sight for the residents of D.J. Halli that the children in the area had turned them into playthings. At around 11 a.m. on Friday, four children were playing on the concrete pipes that have been lying on Modi Road for more than two months now. One of the pipes rolled down taking along with it an eight-year-old child, who was standing on top of it.
The pipes fell on the boy, Anees. “Anees has suffered internal injuries. Doctors said this will pose a long-term problem for the child,” said Zacharia Anwar, a neighbour who rushed the child to hospital. Anees’ parents, both of them daily wage workers, were at work at the time of the incident.
The incident culminates a deepening frustration with the stalled works that is being undertaken at a cost of Rs. 88 lakh to replace the old pipelines on the 3-km stretch of the road.
In fact, when The Hindu had visited the area in the days preceding the incident, residents had pointed out to numerous students filing out of the Government Urdu Higher Primary School and warned of a potential accident. “When we step on the road, we fear tripping and falling,” said Syed Riyaaz, who owns a shop in the area.
The road – now strewn with festering garbage and overflowing sewage – is the sole link to various residential pockets in the area. Drinking water is contaminated as sewage has entered water pipelines.
“Our complaints about the poor civic infrastructure have fallen on deaf ears,” says M.D. Rafiq, a resident.
Official’s take
Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials blamed “uncooperative locals” for the delay in works. “We will have to stop water supply through the old pipelines for a week if the new pipelines are to be laid. But, people in the area have not agreed to that,” said an official.
Claiming that the accident had not come to their notice, an official of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) said the project will be executed by February-end.
