Is this the proverbial lull before the storm? On Tuesday, BBMP and revenue officials engaged in the demolition exercise to clear encroachments on storm water drains, let their bulldozers rest and carried out the markings for structures to be razed. The drive is likely to resume on Wednesday after the confusion over the extent of demolitions to be carried out is cleared. But even as the mortar and bricks come tumbling down, the big question remains-can civic agencies like BBMP ever escape the taint of first allowing illegal structures to come up and then send in the JCBs to bring them down? The BBMP will be the biggest beneficiary of CM Siddaramaiah’s belated move to clear the encroachments-it can ensure the smooth flow of storm water and also get richer by at least Rs 1 lakh crore-the value of the properties it would be recovering!
Facing flak for Monday’s chaos over conflicting claims from the revenue department on the extent of properties to be removed for encroaching on drains and lake beds in the city, the BBMP went slow on the demolitions on Tuesday, making sure revenue officials had done the necessary markings before letting its bulldozers loose.
But it is losing no time in preparing the list of structures to be pulled down and having it approved by BBMP commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad for speedy evictions. With revenue officials marking the drains in Bommanahalli, Mahadevapura and Yelahanka, the demolitions here are likely to proceed full scale on Wednesday.
The BBMP has its task cut out if it is serious about clearing all the encroachments on rajakaluves or Storm Water Drains (SWD) as around 1,932 such properties have been identified across the city. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s promise to bulldoze the properties built on raja kaluves, irrespective of how big or small they may be, has, however, reinforced its resolve to intensify the drive to arrest the flooding the city has been regularly experiencing in rain.
A four storeyed building, just a few meters from the BBMP head office on JC road is sitting bang on top of a stormwater drain.
On Tuesday, Mayor Manjunath Reddy reiterated that encroachments would not be tolerated. However influential their owners may be, they would be brought down, he promised. Although some of the property owners had managed to get a stay on the demolitions, the BBMP intended to engage in legal battle to vacate the stays and recover the stretch of drain encroached on to allow smooth flow of storm water, he said.
The agency which claims to have removed 862 illegal structures, is preparing lists of more buildings to be demolished and will hand them over to the respective joint commissioners executing the evictions, according to him. As far as punishing builders responsible for the encroachments and the officials who colluded with them, Mr. Reddy said the BBMP had furnished the documents necessary to a committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary, Mahendra Jain, which was investigating the matter. “Criminal cases will be filed against the encroachers and officials,” he added.
If the BBMP acts on the orders of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to deal with encroachers and land sharks with an iron fist, it could not only arrest the annual flooding, but also becomes richer by at least rupee one lakh crore! But there are conflicting figures on encroachments of lakes and storm water drains. While the survey department claims there are over 14,000 such encroachments over 1,000 acres, the BBMP believes there are only 1,923. Even so, considering the average guidance value of properties in core areas of the city is not less than
Rs 5,000 per sq. ft, if all the encroached land is recovered, the government stands to gain tremendously, point out sources. Currently, every flooding in Bengaluru has been bleeding the BBMP and the state government financially owing to the relief measures and repairs required in its aftermath, they note.
The bulldozers at work
Yelahanka: Revenue officials and the BBMP’s demolition task force were provided tight police security as they marked around 150 structures in Doddabommasanda, ward no. 10 on Tuesday in the midst of protests by the people. The marked structures will be demolished starting Wednesday, according to Mr Sarfaraz Khan, joint commissioner, Yelahanka zone, BBMP.
BBMP demolition plan
"Sites in Thanisandra have messed with the alignment of the drain flowing into the Dodda Bommasandra lake. We plan to request more police security and continue with our demolition in the area starting Wednesday,” the officer said.
On Monday a mechanic’s garage and half of a paying guest accommodation built over a storm water drain in Ramachandrapura were demolished. The latter property worth about Rs 15 crore belonged to one Mr. Patel, according to BBMP officials. At the start of the demolition drive on Saturday, the task force cleared 1.5 km of built-up encroachments starting from Chamundeshwari ward, demolishing a closed parking lot of an apartment complex and the toilets and changing room of a swimming pool.
Mahadevapura: The demolition of 10 villas in Shubh Enclave on Haralur Main Road, off Sarjapur Road, that began on Saturday continued on Tuesday. By the end of the day almost 70 per cent of the work was done. While two buildings in the centre of the raja kaluve’s alignment were razed to the ground another building was half demolished . Portions of seven other villas, including porticos, compound walls and parking area were also demolished, according to engineer Malathi, who supervised the demolition work between the Kasavanahalli and Kaigondanahalli lakes in Shubh Enclave. “We have cleared encroachments over 5 meters of the drain as of now. Another 2.4 meters has to be verified by the tahasildar and the revenue department’s survey team on Wednesday before we can proceed further,” the officer said.
Bommanahalli: People of Avani Sringerinagar continued to demolish their encroaching properties themselves using private labour. BBMP officials have given them time till Wednesday to complete the task. Meanwhile, the revenue department’s survey officials marked a fresh set of buildings that were encroaching on the raja kaluve’s alignment for demolition.
HC dismisses plea against demolition
The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday sought to know from BBMP and the state Government on how they intend to take action against erring officers, who are involved in granting sanction to the plan, providing conversion orders and issuing occupancy certificates to houses that were constructed on the primary drains (rajakaluves).
The court passed the directions while dismissing a petition filed by one Nama Krishnaiah, a resident of MCHS Colony, 6th Sector in HSR Layout, who had approached the court seeking directions to BBMP to restrain them from damaging his house after his car parking area was demolished by the palike during the recent demolition drive. However, the court ordered to list the matter on August 23, for the purpose over suitable action against the erring officials.
Earlier the petitioner's advocate submitted before the court that the palike has demolished a part of the house building that was constructed on 10,200 sq feet on Sy number 57, Kasavanahalli village, Varthur hobli in Bengaluru South taluk without issuing proper notice to the petitioner.
“Neither the village maps show the existence of rajakaluve in this location nor does the BDA's comprehensive development plan (CDP), 1995,” the advocate argued. However, the palike maintained that that village maps broadly indicate the presence of raja kaluves. Further, it made it clear to the court that the palike has taken up the action in the larger public interest to remove encroachment on the raja kaluves.
Is the BBMP being selective?
The BBMP is delaying updating the list of encroachers on its website. On Tuesday it uploaded details of only two zones, leaving the people of the remaining six zones on tenterhooks. Many are also beginning to ask why there are no demolitions in the core of the city and are accusing it of being selective. But its officials say it is first tackling encroachments in areas that saw unprecedented floods recently. Also, such a drive in the core areas will need preparation as it could affect traffic and create law and order issues, they claim.
Will the Mahendra Jain committee report hold water?
Although the state government has set up a committee headed by additional chief secretary, Mahendra Jain to look into the encroachments, most of the officials involved have either retired or died, point out sources.
