“I have spent Rs 22 lakh to construct houses. I have been paying taxes regularly and I have all documents to prove I’ve not violated norms. They issued a notice three months ago seeking some records and I furnished all of them. There has been no communication since then. They came with JCB machines and evicted us. Where do I go,” cried G Lokanath, owner of a four-storey building which was razed on Sunday night.
It was a heart-rending sight to see Lokanath and his sons breaking down as the machines started demolishing his house.
“Six families were residing in the building and I was about to give two houses on rent. BMP officials identified the land for constructing a drainage. Then councillor Venkatesh Reddy told me it would be a temporary drainage and a different land would be identified for the drainage. Though I constructed the building seven feet above the drain, BBMP tried to demolish it in the name of road widening. But I moved the High Court and obtained a stay,” he added.
These people have constructed the building on a drainage, which is a violation of norms. We issued notices three times and were forced to vacate them and bring down the structures, said the BBMP officials.
“As many as 61 houses have been constructed on Rajakaluve. Owners and BBMP officials should be blamed for what has happened. Owners bribed the officials and encroached upon the land. Owners’ allegations against BBMP are false. Before the sites came up in the area, the BBMP had identified space for a drainage. The BBMP officials took bribe and issued permission. Today, those officials have either retired or working in other departments,” said some BBMP workers.