BBMP books three residents for digging borewell on public road

Bengaluru: The Byadarahalli police have booked three residents of Veerabhadreshwara Nagar for allegedly digging a borewell on a public road without permission.

In its complaint, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) stated that the unauthorised excavation damaged the road, and no prior approval had been obtained from the civic authorities.

The complaint stated that the incident occurred on October 3.

The assistant executive engineer reported that despite being instructed to halt the work, residents Jayaraj, Dhananjay and Prakash proceeded with the borewell drilling on Om Sai Public Main Road in Herohalli ward of RR Nagar.

BBMP officials inspected the site and found the road had been dug up for the borewell installation. “We have seized the vehicles involved and filed a police complaint against the residents,” said BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath.

The police have charged the three residents under Sections 285, 324, and 326 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for damaging public property.

In response, the residents claimed they had secured verbal permission from the BBMP officials and highlighted a lack of water supply from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) as the driving reason for the borewell.

"We rely on private water tankers, which are often unavailable when needed. Therefore, several residents pooled funds to dig this borewell for community use," they said.