No more Sanjanas in Bangalore please, say kin

The grieving family of teenager Sanjana Singh on Friday demanded that the government order an inspection into all construction work undertaken by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to ensure the safety of Bangaloreans.

Sanjana Singh, 17, died after a wall constructed by the BBMP collapsed on her on Bellary Road on June 1, a year after eight-year-old Abhsihek was washed away to death by an uncovered drain.

The girl’s father, Ashok Kumar Singh, said “suspending BBMP engineers and filing criminal cases against them is not the ultimate solution”. The government should order the inspection to ascertain that quality material was used in all civic works, so that “no more Sanjanas are created”.

Following the tragedy, the BBMP suspended four of its engineers and slapped cases on them as well as two contractors, including Yeshwantpur corporator G Muniratna. The other contractor has been identified as G Umesh Kumar Ramachandra, who had constructed the wall of the Veterinary College in Hebbal, which collapsed in pre-monsoon showers, burying Sanjana in the debris.

“I do not know whether the government is taking genuine action against them (BBMP officials and contractors), or it (the suspension) is just an eyewash,” he said, adding that he still had faith in the government.

Singh alleged that the lure of the lucre led some in the authority and contractors to construct sub-standard structures, leading to tragedies. “These officials and contractors, in their greed for more money, took my daughter’s life. I do not know how many more would die here if officers and contractors of this kind are involved in construction work.”

The bereaved father said he was suspecting that a mafia comprising engineers and contractors was responsible for the shoddy and unsafe constructions. He called for the creation of a separate monitoring mechanism to keep track on all engineers and contractors undertaking civic works.

Singh expressed hope that those in power would take his daughter’s death with due seriousness. “I hope they don’t let the investigation run out of steam in due course. They should find a genuine and permanent solution to these untoward incidents,” he added.

Meanwhile, Sanjana’s grandfather, SK Singh, has been shattered by the tragedy. He demanded that the government blacklist the erring civic officials and contractors, and also make them reconstruct the faulty structures at their expense.

SK Singh added that Sanjana was his favourite grandchild.
“I wanted to see her grow up. I had wished for seeing her wedding too.” Instead of the grand wedding, the elderly man witnessed her funeral.