50-year-old man sits in pit demanding action against illegal digging of road in Bengaluru

Bengaluru

Fed up with repeated digging of a newly asphalted road, Anil Kumar G.R., 50, staged a silent protest by sitting in a pit for over 10 hours demanding justice. The incident happened in Hanumanthnagar.

Mr. Kumar told The Hindu that two months ago, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) re-asphalted the 4th Cross Road of Hanumanthnagar and alleged that without obtaining necessary permission, a private company dug up the road for a stretch of 700 metres, causing inconvenience to motorists and pedestrians in the locality.

“Demanding justice, I staged a sathyagraha by sitting in the pit from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Digging up an asphalted road has become a habit in the city and no one cares for the plight faced by the common citizens. After my protest, some lower-rung officials from the BBMP visited the spot. Later, the BBMP filed an FIR against the company that had dug up the road. The authorities also took steps to fill the stretch of the road. During my protest, the general public sympathised with me and offered food and water.“

A police official from Hanumanthnagar station said that following the protest, an executive engineer from the BBMP filed an FIR against a leading service provider, Jio, for digging the road to lay optical fibre cable. In its complaint, the BBMP said the act of the accused resulted in loss to the exchequer.