Call for Koramangala bundh on Monday

Call for Koramangala bundh on Monday
Deccan Herald

Residents of Koramangala have declared a ‘bundh’ on Monday to urge the government to intervene and stall the massive demolitions being taken up there.

According to the area councillor B Mohan, “All resident associations from I to VIII Blocks have extended support to the bundh call. A majority of schools, colleges and commercial establishments will remain closed. A meeting of residents, MPs, MLAs will be held at the BMP grounds in V Block at 10 am.”

On Day 2 of the demolitions carried out as per the High court order, the BMP managed to pull down only the remaining portion of one of the four buildings razed down on Thursday. The earlier plan of the BMP was to demolish all the ten buildings as directed by the Court. The owners of these buildings had filed an affidavit seeking time till December 2005.

On Friday, the area councillor and Koramangala residents met Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and the District Incharge Minister R Ashok to seek government intervention in the case.

The residents urged the government to approve 25 per cent deviation as it is hoped to bring relief to 75 per cent of the properties. “We are not against the court order. But we want to protect the interests of the common man and hope to get a clear verdict on regularising 25 per cent deviation.

“We also want the government to extend TDR to provide relief to the aggrieved property owners. Some properties are as old as 20 to 30 years and had no such building restrictions at the time of construction,” argues Mohan.

According to sources, what is worrying the citizens is also the fact that the BMP has already identified 6,000 more houses to study deviations.

About 13 assistant executive engineers have also been deployed to survey the extent of deviation.

“We want the government to intervene so as to arrive at a permanent solution,” said Mohan.