Property owner moves court, but in vain

11 properties identified for demolition in Shubh Enclave at Kasavanahalli

A court refused to grant a stay to the owner of a house who was set to lose parts of his property.— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

The demolition of properties in Shubh Enclave at Kasavanahalli continued on Tuesday. A court refused to grant a stay to the owner of a house who was set to lose parts of his property. The demolition began within an hour of the court decision.

According to officials, the house belongs to the brother of a former Member of Parliament from Andhra Pradesh. The owner, Nama Krishnaiah, had on Monday sought permission from civic officials to carry out the demolition on his own. However, according to officials, the additional time was used to move court.

“We had given the owner time in good faith. From now on, if people want to carry out the demolition themselves, they will have to hand over a relinquishment certificate declaring that they have encroached on a drain,” said N. Manjunath Prasad, Commissioner, BBMP.

Eleven properties in Shubh Enclave have been earmarked for demolition for encroaching storm water drains that connect Kasavanahalli and Kaikondanahalli lakes.

Of the 11, seven had been identified for demolition on Tuesday.

“Two houses had to be demolished. Portions of two properties had to be razed. The rest pertained to compound walls and partial demolition of built-up area,” said Muniveerappa M., Joint Commissioner, Mahadevapura zone.

There was a lot of anger among the residents against the developer of the layout, who is absconding.

“We want to focus on saving as much as we can from our homes, but we will not stay quiet. We will certainly take action against the developer,” said a resident.

BBMP points finger at Revenue Department

Allegations against the civic agency of discrimination were doing the rounds.

“A big property developer is continuing with construction while our houses are being demolished. Will the BBMP not take action against the developer?” said one resident of Shubh Enclave.

Civic officials responded to the allegations.

“Identification of encroachments on Storm Water Drains is for the Revenue Department. The tahsildar will be able to say whether a property has encroached on drains,” said Mr. Manjunath Prasad. However, another civic official claimed that the property of the developer would not be touched for now, as it does not seem to have encroached on any drain.