BENGALURU: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) got into action mode with the onset of the New Year. With help from the revenue department, the civic body started encroachment clearance drive at Hulimavu lake on Thursday.
In a day-long operation, residential houses and commercial buildings were demolished and 4,000 square feet of encroached lake bed was reclaimed. Vacant sites were fenced.
BBMP lakes chief engineer, Mohan Kumar told The New Indian Express that this was the first encroachment clearance drive after Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) handed over the lake to the BBMP. Survey of all the water bodies has started and encroachment clearance will be taken up along with Revenue Department officials.
He explained that Hulimavu lake is divided into two survey numbers. On Thursday, work was done on the southern side (survey number 110 of Kammanahalli) spread across 15 acres, where 1.35 acres of the lake bed was encroached upon by 14 individual houses, a temple and seven vacant lands. The BBMP removed two houses, while owners of eight houses had obtained a stay order from the High Court.
In case of four houses, there were partial encroachments of 5-6 feet. Here the property owners gave an undertaking to the BBMP that they will clear the encroachment and redo their structures at their cost. In case of two more buildings, the dwellers were over 85 years old and their children were away. The tahsildar and BBMP officials on humanitarian grounds did not demolish the property. The officials spoke to their wards who promised to vacate the properties immediately, he said.
BBMP officials maintained that it was not a sudden drive. The survey of the properties had been done in 2014- 15 and notices issued to each encroacher in 2016, after which they approached the court and did not vacate the properties till date. Interestingly, all these encroachers have A-khata property registration certificates.
The officials said in case of the second portion spread across 125 aces, it was found that 18 acres of the lake bed was encroached upon, of which 13 acres was encroached upon by the BDA itself to form a layout. Interestingly the BDA officials have a government order to show that they were not at fault. Further, on 35 guntas of land stands a temple and eight small commercial buildings to which tahsildar slapped notices.
A senior BBMP official said: “Thursday’s exercise showed that all government departments were equally responsible for the encroachment, improper records, issuing of khatas and construction of houses.”
Farmers can take silt from
Varthur, Bellandur for free The Bangalore Development Authority has called upon thosein the brick-making business as well as farmers to visit Bellandur and Varthur lakes and take the silt for free. An official release said that farmers could use the silt as fertiliser while it is also found to be very useful in the manufacture of bricks.