First the agency in charge of the flyover broke up the service road in front of our apartments, and cut down at least a dozen trees two years ago….the project lies abandoned.

Then the construction company which is building something two doors away has excavated ALL the mud and dumped it in front of our building, totally illegally.

Then the narrow strip of land next door, where I thought some little cubbyholes for the construciton workers was coming up, has prettified those self-same horrible ill ventilated cubbyholes and put up a sign, saying P G Accomodation is available. Also completely illegal.

Then to (quite literally) top it all, people have started dumping domestic trash on the piles of mud and broken cement. What a delightful prospect I face in the morning.

Rules are rules…until they apply to you. Then you flout them as long as you can. And sweeten the local authorities, sometimes in advance, so that you don’t get pulled up.

What can I do? I have written to the BDA office in Koramangala and tried to meet the Revenue Officer. He is NEVER around. I have written to the paper. It may or may not publish the letter, and that may or may not cause a reaction.

I feel so frustrated and helpless.

I have been battling for nearly a month in my own building not to allow unattended children in the pool after dark. NO action from the committee; the children continue to come by themselves, and play excitedly, often forgetting themselves and ducking each others’ heads in the water. This is an accident jut waiting to happen. How can parents be like this? One mother came back from work and knew where to come and call her son….a swimming pool-cum-creche….everyone assumes nothing bad will happen to THEM.

We are obedient and subservient when we have another authority over us, anywhere in the world. But when we rule ourselves, we are the most corrupt, unlawful people, from top to bottom.