Residents annoyed over govt not demolishing IT parks built on SWDs

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru:

After the flooding in Bengaluru, the government asked BBMP to start a demolition drive for properties built on storm water drains. (SWDs)

The BBMP started the anti-encroachment drive on October 10 after taking a break over the Dasara holiday week. And now illegal encroachments on storm water drains in Mahadevapura and KR Puram that had been identified by the Revenue Department are being demolished.

An anti-encroachment campaign was conducted by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike on Tuesday at KR Puram’s SR Layout and in Mahadevapura’s Sheelavanthakere Lake. The civic agency tore down a 130-meter compound wall that had been constructed across a storm water drain close to Sheelavanthakere lake (SWD).

The staircase and compound walls of two homes in SR Layout have been taken down. This fumed a few residents in the neighbourhood as they question BBMP’s selective drive. Pranay Mundhra, a resident of the city said, “Why is BBMP not demolishing IT parks in the city. There are 40 plus tech parks build illegally on storm water drains but nothing is being done to them.

BBMP is just demolishing houses of poor people. This is mainly due to corruption. The builders of the IT parks would have paid hefty amount to the officials and that’s the reason why nothing is being done in tech parks.”

On October 12, a couple tried to commit suicide in R K Puram, when their house was going to be demolished. Citizens in the city say that the government should start the demolition drive from big Tech parks that are built illegally. “The BBMP asked IT parks to do self-encroachment removal. This is unfair for us. Common man has to suffer because of the fault of the government. They are saying that if they demolish residential houses, it will ensure that there is no flooding. Then what about IT firms that are built on Rajkaluves. Why is the BBMP not talking about them,” said Sudhir, a resident at KR Puram.