Around 35 structures that had come up illegally on Mysuru Road, near Nayandahalli Junction, were demolished on Tuesday by the Karnataka Slum Development Board and the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force. The structures included RCC (reinforced cement concrete) buildings and tin sheds.
D. Devaraj, Superintendent of Police, BMTF, told The Hindu that some of the structures were nearly 15 years old. He said that though the shopkeepers were informed to vacate the premises a week ago, many had failed to do so. On Tuesday, when the drive began, there was some resistance from the locals.
He also said that authorities of a prayer hall requested the BMTF to give them 15 days’ time to vacate the premises. “We will wait for 15 days and then demolish it as well. Nearly one acre belonging to the Slum Board has been recovered,” he said.
Mr. Devaraj pointed out that some of these structures were being rented out illegally by a few local people. “The rent ranged from around Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 8,000 a month. The BMTF initiate action against them,” he added.
Slum Board chairperson P.R. Ramesh said that the area recovered was a notified slum and that the Board had constructed multi-storeyed housing complexes near the Nayandahalli junction with funds from Basic Services for Urban Poor (BSUP). “We have identified a few other areas belonging to the Slum Board that have been encroached. These too will be demolished in similar drives,” he said.
