Demolition drive unsuccessful

Demolition drive unsuccessful
VIjay Times

DESPITE officials of the Revenue Department, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Bangalore Metropolitan T ask F orce (BMTF) remaining tight lipped about the demolition drive launched to bring down as many as 24 buildings in the N ayandahalli valley , they were not successful in razing do wn the same on W ednesday morning as the o wners of seven buildings had obtained a stay order from the court.

A committee constituted by the government to remove encroachments on valleys and tanks had identified these buildings as those that had been built by encroaching upon the valley .

A team led by Assistant Commissioner (Revenue) B Nagaraj, along with the BMTF and BCC officials, under the directions of M A Sadiq, deputy commissioner , Bangalore U rban, began the demolition drive as early as 7.30 am.

T wo JCBs were pressed into service and more than 200 policemen were posted at the spot to pro vide protection to those involved in the demolition process.

H o wever , the buildings, built along a stretch of 2.5 km, could not be demolished as the o wners of seven saw mills had obtained stay orders from the court.

M eanwhile, the team could pull down only compound walls of around five properties that were built on the valley in order to widen the drain. Speaking to B BV VT T , Nagaraj said, "N otices were served to o wners of 20 buildings. As these buildings were identified by the committee set up by the go vernment, we thought we would be successful in our operation. But the court has granted a stay for three days. W e are confident of getting the stay vacated and will immediately go ahead with the demolition process." "Similar encroachments have been identified in Sarakki, Puttenahalli, Begur , H S R Layout and Madivala areas. W e will crack do wn on these buildings too in the future," he added.

"The drain should be wide enough to enable easy flo w of water during rains. Come monsoon, the residents will have to put up with great hardship as the valley will o verflo w , flooding the streets and homes. The BCC should initiate suitable action in this regard before next monsoon," Raju, a resident of N ayandahalli, said.

M urthy , another resident, said : "The authorities concerned should act immediately after the notice is served. The ones who dared to encroach will definitely get a stay order from the court if there is enough time between the notice served and the action taken."

A JCB was pressed into service to demolish valley on Wednesday . BVT