Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has given a clear instruction to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike that there will be no discrimination in the demolition drive of the illegal encroachers — after the name of several top IT parks featured on the list. Speaking at the Assembly on Wednesday, the chief minister said he has told the civic chief and the officials not to succumb to any pressure in the drive. Also Read: IT park as per sanctioned plan, says Wipro amid eviction drive in Bengaluru
Bagmare Techpark, Wipro, Purva Paradise, real estate firm RBD, Adarsha, Columbia Asia Hospital, New Horizon College, Adarsha Retreat, Epsilon, Divyashree, Prestige, Salarpuria and Nalapad are some of the encroachers of the stormwater drains, as identified by the civic authorities. The illegal encroachment that took place over the years apparently led to the recent flooding of the city.
The names of the bigwigs created a stir as these IT offices, schools, hospitals now stand to be demolished, according to the BBMP plan. Wipro on Wednesday issued a statement claiming that its IT park in Doddakannelli locality of Bengaluru has been constructed as per the sanctioned plan. “Wipro abides by the laws of every jurisdiction where it does business and adheres to the highest standards of integrity. The Wipro campus in Doddakannelli is as per sanctioned plan. We have not received any notice from BBMP,” the company stated.
BBMP chief commissioner Tushar Giri Nath said the owners will be served notices and after their response, proper action will be taken.
According to government officials, there were 1,953 encroachments of stormwater drains, of which over 1,300 have been removed. Residential buildings, apartments, firms, schools and hospitals came up on the rest 630 encroachment sites.
BBMP officials said the total length of the stormwater drain network in the city is 860 kilometres. The width of the major drains is 60 feet which got reduced to 10 to 20 feet following the construction of illegal structures stunting the drainage of the water. “If the width is not brought back to its previous shape, then this problem will persist,” a BBMP lake division official said.
(With agency inputs)
