Bengaluru: A 43-year-old man served a legal notice to Bengaluru’s civic body seeking a compensation of Rs 50 lakh after broken and non-motorable roads in the city caused him ‘physical agony and emotional trauma’.
Dhivya Kiran, a resident of Richmond Town in the city, in his notice to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) highlighted the physical and mental agony he suffered as the civic body allegedly failed to maintain the infrastructure.
Following severe neck and back pains, he made five visits to orthopedics and four emergency visits to hospitals as his conditions were ‘medically linked to the jerks and trauma caused while commuting on these treacherous roads’.
The legal notice is relevant in the wake of severe waterlogging in the city following heavy overnight rains on Sunday, which stalled normal life in the IT capital.
The life in the city is nightmarish for most residents when there is a heavy rain, thanks to potholes on the broken roads.
Following the heavy rains on Sunday night, people had to be evacuated from their houses in inflatable boats.
Advocate K V Laveen, representing Kiran, reportedly said that his client made four emergency visits to St. Philomena's Hospital and took injections and procedures for relief from pain, adding he has been ‘on multiple medications and painkillers to manage the condition’.
‘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,’ Advocate K V Laveen was quoted as saying.
Kiran claimed that traveling in auto or two-wheelers on uneven roads 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 reportedly said.
The notice accused the civic body of ‘gross negligence and failure’ in fulfilling their public duty thus leaving the man in ‘physical agony, emotional trauma, and financial burden’.
Kiran sought Rs 50 lakh for the emotional and physical distress, and the costs of travel for medical consultations within 15 days and failing to do so will lead to legal action.
There was no immediate response from the BBMP on the notice.