Houses on BDA sites won’t be demolished: BDA chief

BENGALURU: BDA commissioner Sham Bhat has laid to rest all the speculations and fears regarding people losing their houses in BDA allotted sites.

Process followed

Bhat told Deccan Chronicle that the BDA had in fact followed all dues processes while making these layouts and in cases where necessary permissions weren’t taken, the authority did it after forming the layouts. Which means, Dollar’s colony on Linganna lake, HRBR Layout on Banasawadi lake would not be demolished.

The BDA has formed layouts on the land allotted by the government. The dead lakes where there was no possibility of reviving them have been given by the government for layout formation.

Before forming the layout, the BDA has issued notification calling for objections and has gone through them and the suggestions received. BDA is a government body and it has developed layouts on the land given by the government, the commissioner said.

Such being the case, BDA cannot be called encroacher. If a private person or builder has built houses on them they can be called encroachers or grabbers, he said. Even the sites have been allotted through a transparent method by calling for applications.

Considering the allotment rules, seniority and number of attempts sites have been allotted to the citizens. Even Majestic bus stand and some of the stadiums and government buildings have been built on the dead lakes. They cannot be demolished.

Since these lakes had lost its quality of lake and water holding features such lands were given for public utility. It is not possible to demolish bus stands and stadiums, Bhat said. Some of the really poor people too have lost their shelter which they had built by spending their hard earned money. However, as per the government’s order the poor people would be rehabilitated by the BDA, the commissioner said.

Meanwhile, BDA has furnished all the required documents regarding the formation of layout to the house committee on lakes headed by MLA K. B. Koliwad. The committee members have also inspected the encroached lakes is expected to submit its report shortly.