Demolition drive, a right step

The drive to reclaim encroached lands in Bengaluru is a welcome move. Illegal constructions have come up on hundreds of acres in several parts of the city, especially on the lake beds, owing to the connivance of the officials of the BDA, BBMP and revenue department of the state government along with politicians and land sharks. The action of the authorities in removing illegal constructions on the Sarakki lake bed near J P Nagar in Bengaluru south was overdue. Encroachments have taken place not just at Sarakki but also on the lake beds of Bellandur, Varthur, Venkatarayana Kere, Chikkalasandra, Ittamadu, Halage Vaderahalli, Uttarahalli, Subrahmanyapura, Chunchaghatta, Gowdanapalya and Madivala, to name a few.

At Sarakki, where demolition drive is on for the last few days, in 30 years, the 82 acre lake has lost at least 38 acres to encroachments, according to the district authorities. Some 178 houses, 15 temples, seven apartments, a government school, a dental college and hospital, eight petty shops, three play-grounds, a PWD building and a BWSSB facility had come up on the encroached land. The modus operandi of the encroachers is to first build a temple, ensure it is not destroyed on religious grounds and then gradually expand the encroachment to other commercial types of buildings. An estimated Rs 2,000 crore worth real estate, generated by illegal constructions, is being demolished to restore Sarakki lake to its original contours. Hopefully, this will help regenerate ground water levels in that part of the city. The Sarakki demolitions followed a court order arising out of a PIL filed by the People’s Campaign for Right to Water and local residents welfare groups.

The real sufferer because of encroachments is the buyer who, believing that the land or building on sale is genuine, goes for it and then pays a heavy price when a crackdown ensues. In the case of lake beds, the encroachments are a cause of great worry as they gobble up precious water bodies and leave the city high and dry in times of a crisis. In fact, the intricate system of lakes and water conservation that Bengaluru was renowned for, has today been reduced to a shambles. Already, much damage has been done to the city’s water bodies. It is time that officials wake up and rectify the situation before it is too late. The government must initiate steps to prevent any further encroachments on public lands and, without much ado, demolish all illegal constructions. Not just this, those responsible for the encroachments, however powerful they may be, should be brought to book.