Shops demolished near Bandipalya

Owners say they were not served eviction notice by the authorities

Tenants retrieving their belongings from the shops demolished by the authorities in Mysore on Sunday. Photo: Anurag Basavaraj

The district administration demolished a few shops that were built on government land in the city on Sunday.

The encroachments had cropped up on a 1.5 acre of land near Bandipalya on the Mysore-Nanjangud Road, close to the Bandipalya Truck Terminal.

Reminders issued

The shops were let out on rent for a garage and a couple of transport offices. According to officials, despite repeated reminders to vacate the land, the shop owners did not vacate the premises.

A notice was issued to the tenants early this month by the authorities but was ignored, following which the Deputy Commissioner directed the revenue staff to initiate action, said officials.

Tahsildar A. Naveen Joseph led a team of 45 police men during the demolition operation.

However, the demolition operation sparked a protest by the tenants, who denied any knowledge of encroachment or eviction notice. The owners said that materials worth lakhs of rupees had been destroyed.

They tried to contact the person who used to collect rent from them but could not reach him.