BENGALURU: Residents of Ittina Neela apartment in Chandapura never imagined the beginning of the week would be a disaster! They woke up to dry taps, which threw their morning routine out of gear. Majority of them had to skip office, and they also could not send their wards to school on Monday. The residents found out that the man who maintains the services of over 1,000 apartments at the residential complex had snapped the supply as they had opposed a steep hike in maintenance charges. The residents staged a dharna and lodged a complaint with the Hebbagodi police.
A member of the Ittina Neela Owners’ Association, on condition of anonymity, said that initially, the residents had not formed the association and the maintenance was done by a supporter of a BJP leader, Dayanand Reddy (former MLC from Congress). He collected the fee for the services provided. “Normally, the maintenance charges are calculated based on the area of the flat. But the maintenance fee for our apartments was far higher than in any other premium apartment. For a flat with 1,000-odd sqft we shell out nearly Rs 3,550 per month which is very high,” he said.
“When the residents asked how such exorbitant fees were being collected and sought accounts, Mr. Reddy and his supporters snapped water and power supply to our flats. The common area was not maintained and Bescom bills have not been paid for years,” the residents alleged. Another resident said, “The police were reluctant to register the complaint initially, but were forced to take it when we intensified the protest. But no FIR has been registered.”
Even on Tuesday night, many residents staged a dharna demanding Mr Reddy hand over the maintenance and accounts to the registered apartment association. But, Mr Reddy’s supporters intimidated them. Now, the residents are scared to protest openly. “Around Rs 25 lakh that is collected every month is being misused,” the resident alleged. Hebbagodi police said that the residents of Ittina protested against non-supply of water, but later, the issue was resolved. Later in the evening, after the protests, the maintenance team released bare minimum amount of water, that too only for basic requirements.
Let them show proof: D. Reddy
Mr Dayanand Reddy, a BJP leader and a former MLC from Congress, denied the allegations levelled against him by the residents of Ittina Neela Apartments at Chandapura. He said that the protest was politically motivated to malign his image. Mr Reddy said that he was the owner of the property and handed it over to the buyers.
“We took care of the maintenance only on the request of the residents,” he said.
“Since the society does not have Cauvery connection and borewells within the society have gone dry, water had to be procured from outside. There was some problem in the supply of water on Monday because water dues were not cleared as many residents had not paid their maintenance charges,” he said. “However, water supply was restored after talking to the water supplier. If residents have any complaints, let them prove that with a receipt of the higher maintenance fee paid,” he tried to defend.
