Elita Promenade, a Singapore-led condo in Bangalore, is raising a stink among residents. (Screengrab from YouTube video)
A smelly problem is assailing unit buyers of a Keppel Land project in Bangalore.
Residents of 1,573-unit Elita Promenade, a collaboration between the Singapore developer and Puravankara Builders in the Indian city, are complaining about the stench coming from nearbyJaraganahalli-Sarakki lake.
They said the development’s sewage plant treatment plant isn’t working properly, and that a pipe built by the developers through their property delivers untreated sewage from a neighbouring condo into the lake, according to The Sunday Times (ST).
Keppel, when contacted by ST, said that the sewage plant is not malfunctioning and that it has complied with all regulations.
It also reportedly explained that it had to lay a pipe to stop neighbourhood sewage from going into the development towards the lake.
Under India’s environment laws, it is illegal to dump untreated sewage into a lake.
ST further reported that the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board said it gave no approval for Keppel to build the pipe.
Health, pollution, legal problems
Concerns have been raised over health issues and possible pollution in the lake.
According to news reports in India last year, Elita residents were worried that they may be held as the ones responsible in the event that anybody falls sick from the polluted lake water.
“How can the company pollute a lake? Will they dare to do this in their country [Singapore]?”Bangalore Mirror quoted a resident, Bharath Kedlaya, as saying.
“We don’t want to be a party to this. We have a sewage treatment plant in our apartment complex, but are facilitating someone else’s sewage into the lake.”
Residents also claimed that they were in the dark about the problems when they first moved in, and that even after alerting authorities to the problem, nothing had been done to improve the situation, Bangalore Mirror had reported.
Who should take responsibility?
Meanwhile, residents are tussling with Keppel on who should take responsibility for the issue.
One resident quoted by ST said Keppel wanted the unit owners to form an association to take charge of managing the property.
But residents have rejected the offer, claiming that the responsibility is not theirs to hold.
Keppel, however, is maintaining its stand. “We remain committed to the needs of the residents at Elita Promenade as well as ensuring that the development is maintained in the best possible manner,” said a Keppel spokesman to ST.
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