Demolition drive Day 10: BBMP razes two houses in Mahadevapura

BENGALURU: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) authorities demolished two houses, allegedly built on storm water drains (SWD), at Kasavanahalli in Mahadevapura on Thursday. The Palike officials said that even as marking and survey of drain encroachment is underway, the demolition drive in the upscale Greenwood Regency has been completed after slabs covering the drains were removed.

The slab clearance operation was carried out on a one-storey building in Shantiniketan Layout of Munnekolala and a four-storeyed building in Pappaiah Reddy Layout near Greenwood Regency on Sarjapura Road.

“A one-storey building was constructed on a rajakaluve at Shantiniketan Layout near Munnekolala. Those who were living in the house were served a notice in advance by the Tahsildar of the Revenue Department to vacate the house, following which the entire building was razed using a Hitachi breaker,” said a senior BBMP official.

The official said a notice was also issued by the Tahsildar to the occupants of the four-storied building which had encroached a rajakaluve in Papaya Reddy Layout. The BBMP had demolished the compound wall on September 13, and it gave a week’s time to the occupants to vacate the premises. After the occupants vacated, the front portion of the structure was cleared by a Hitachi breaker. The use of Hitachi breaker poses risks to neighbouring buildings and hence the operation was carried out carefully.

The work on clearing the slab on the rain gutter near Greenwood Regency on Sarjapur Road is almost complete and the iron bars installed on the slab now need to be removed. In addition, clearance of a bridge constructed on the Raja Canal behind Marathahalli Police Station, near BWSSB’s STP site, has been completed.