Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Saturday, directed the BBMP to concentrate on removing encroachments on channels that inter-connect various lakes. He also directed officials to refrain from demolishing properties that have encroached on Storm Water Drains (SWDs) that are not in use, have lost the character of a drain and not causing flooding.
This is clearly a significant shift from the civic body’s drive to remove encroachments on all drains (1,923 encroachments identified by Revenue Department). The ongoing drive over the past three weeks saw several houses and commercial properties razed amidst allegations of discrimination in favour of malls and big builders.
The decision came on Saturday at a meeting chaired by the chief minister where Congress MLAs from the city, mayor, deputy mayor and senior BBMP officials were present. Sources told The Hindu that the MLAs had met last week to discuss the alleged ‘unpopularity of the demolition drive’. Pressure from within the party to go slow, apart from intense lobbying from the realty lobby forced the State government to climb down, said a source.
The decision comes just a day after the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India, Karnataka held a conclave where the realtors and the banking sector expressed concern that the demolition drive is affecting ‘Brand Bengaluru’.
Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that the BBMP has prepared a list of 38 encroached drain stretches which are flood-prone. Removal of encroachments will be taken up on a priority basis to prevent any further floods this monsoon, he said. “The government is trying to prioritise the drive in flood-prone zones. Other encroachments will be handled later, not let off the hook,” he assured.
Meanwhile, there is no clarity on the fate of the ongoing drives in various zones and properties for which the survey report is awaited — Orion mall in Rajajinagar, Gopalan Arcade mall and Ideal Homes Layout in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, for instance.
Mr. Siddaramaiah is reported to have directed BBMP officials not to spare anybody encroaching inter-connecting channels, blocking water flow causing floods. “It is wrong to accuse the government of sparing big builders. We have demolished many residences that are worth over Rs. 5 crore. There has been much appreciation for the drive, taken up for the betterment of the city,” he said.
