Bengaluru:
A 43-year-old man in Bengaluru has served a legal notice, seeking a compensation of Rs 50 Lakh from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for the “physical agony and emotional trauma” caused by alleged broken and non-motorable roads in the city.
In his notice, Dhivya Kiran, a resident of Richmond Town, said that despite being a tax-paying citizen, he has continuously faced physical hardships and mental agony due to the alleged failure of the civic body to maintain basic infrastructure.
He claimed to have made five visits to orthopedics and four emergency visits to hospitals, due to severe neck and back pains. These, he added, were “medically linked to the jerks and trauma caused while commuting on these treacherous roads”.
There was no immediate response from the BBMP on the notice.
Broken and waterlogged roads during times of rain in various parts of the city are often a nightmare for most people in the city. Unusually heavy overnight rains on Sunday brought the IT capital to its knees on Monday as people were spotted wading through water and evacuating their houses with the help of inflatable boats.
“My client states that he was forced to visit 5 orthopedic specialists due to the intensifying pain. He made 4 emergency visits to St. Philomena’s Hospital, undergoing injections and procedures to relieve acute agony. Further, have been on multiple medications and painkillers to manage the condition,” Advocate K V Laveen, who served the notice on behalf of Mr Kiran on May 14, said.
“He has also experienced episodes of crying out in pain, loss of sleep, anxiety, and mental distress, all of which have deeply affected his well-being and daily functioning,” he added.
Mr Kiran also said he is unable to travel by auto or on two-wheelers, as the uneven and damaged roads have severely worsened his spinal and neck condition. “Even cab rides are difficult, though marginally more tolerable than autos or bikes. This severely limits his mobility and independence, affecting both his personal and professional commitments,” his lawyer said.
It is due to BBMP’s “gross negligence and failure in discharging its public duty” that the man is facing “physical agony, emotional trauma, and financial burden”, the notice said.
It added that Mr Kiran has demanded a compensation of Rs 50 lakh for the emotional and physical distress, and the costs of travel for medical consultations, within 15 days. Failure to do so will attract legal action, it said.
Mr Kiran also sought Rs 10,000 as charges for the legal notice issued to BBMP.
Speaking to NDTV, Mr Kiran said: “Bengaluru roads are a mess. Even the smallest pothole can cause so much distress.”
He said that he had flagged the issues to authorities in the past but in vain. “It is very sad that the city does not care for good infrastructure. That is why I have sent a notice to the authorities. If need be, I will file a PIL (Public Interest Litigation). Why should I suffer? The least the state can do is provide us with good roads,” he said.
