Advocate’s day was observed by the Ballari Bar Association (BBA) in a different way here on Wednesday.
Unlike in the past, when the Advocate’s day was observed in a ritualistic way, the Association thought of taking up people’s cause and highlight their plight over erratic power and drinking water supply.
The Association, as a petitioner represented by its president Patel Siddareddy, filed two separate pre-litigation petitions before the District Legal Service Authority under section 22 (A) of the Legal Service Authority Act seeking its intervention to end the plight of the people by directing both the authorities concerned to ensure proper supply of drinking water and power.
Mr. Siddareddy has accused the Karnataka Urban Water and Drainage Board, Ballari and City Corporation Commissioner (respondents) of their inaction in initiating steps in respect of supplying drinking water daily.
According to him, though water tax is collected regularly, the supply of water is once a week and at times once in ten or fifteen days and there was no fixed timings for distribution of water with several areas getting water in wee hours. This was mainly due to the failure of the authorities concerned in initiating proper maintenance of the distribution system, delay in carrying out the repairs of the breached bund of Allipur reservoir among other things.
With regard to erratic power supply, he has charged the Managing Director GESCOM Kalaburagi, Chief Engineer, Superintending Engineer, Executive Engineers among others concerned in Ballari (respondents) of their failure in ensuring uninterrupted power supply.
He has pointed out that frequent scheduled and unscheduled power cuts are effected without prior intimation/publicity in the media, and the authorities concerned had failed to take proper steps to tackle the problem.
He wanted the Chairman of the Authority to take cognisance of the failures of the authorities concerned in providing proper service and direct them to address these important issues and provide relief to the people.
In turn, C.S. Margoor, Principal District and Session Judge and Chairman of the Authority, ordered issue of notices to the respondents to appear before him on December 16th.
