Doddaballapur: In a novel form of protest, members of the Arkavathi River Struggle Committee drew attention to their longstanding demand for the relocation of the Pollution Control Board office from Bengaluru’s Peenya to Doddaballapur. The protestors conducted an unusual symbolic ritual — performing a traditional abhisheka using milk, ghee, and sandalwood paste on an effigy of the Pollution Control Board official Bhaskar, urging authorities to ensure the supply of clean water to local residents.

The event took place on the bund of the Chikkatumakuru lake in Doddaballapur taluk, where the Arkavathi River Struggle Committee organized a ritualistic protest. Activists crafted a dummy of officer Bhaskar and conducted a ceremonial pouring of milk, ghee, and sandalwood in a gesture asking him to show compassion and ensure the supply of clean drinking water.

Currently, the Pollution Control Board’s office that oversees Doddaballapur is located in Bengaluru’s Peenya. For the past four years, the activists have been demanding that the office be shifted to Doddaballapur for better local oversight.

According to them, District Commissioner Basavaraju had even handed over the office keys and issued a directive to officer Bhaskar to relocate the office, but Bhaskar has allegedly been evading the move citing trivial excuses. Activist Satish, who addressed the media during the protest, said the DC had instructed Bhaskar to shift the office to the Doddaballapur guesthouse temporarily.

However, Bhaskar reportedly resisted the move stating that the premises lacked proper facilities like toilets, especially for women staff. In response, the activists said they carried out the symbolic abhisheka to “cleanse the ignorance” and highlight the urgency of the issue.