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'BBMP engineers reluctant to raze illegal apartments'

Orders were issued to demolish 3 buildings in Uttarahalli
Last Updated 30 May 2016, 20:05 IST

Engineers from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) have not demolished three apartments constructed without sanctioned building plan in Uttarahalli ward despite orders from a senior official.

While the engineers claim that the jurisdictional police have not given them protection to take up the operation, BBMP joint commissioner (Bommanahalli zone) Muniraju who ordered demolition of these structures feels that the engineers are reluctant to go ahead. 

On Thursday, Muniraju ordered assistant executive engineer Narasimha Babu to demolish three apartments which have come up in gross violations of the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act. The buildings do not have khatha, sanctioned building plans, commencement and occupancy certificates. Also, the setbacks did not comply with the Town and Country Planning Act. The final demolition orders under the section 462 of the KMC Act were issued in January 2015 but were never executed compelling Muniraju to direct the engineers to raze the structures. Babu said: “I wrote to the Subramanyapura police seeking protection but they did not give us any dates. Until the police protection is given, we cannot proceed.”

The engineers preferred approaching the Subramanyapura police instead of the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF), a police force meant exclusively for the BBMP. The superintendent of police (BMTF) D Devaraj wondered: “Why did BBMP engineers approach the local police instead of BMTF? We are meant exclusively to take up such jobs. It is we who facilitate police protection. The act of the engineers hints at something else.”

Asked why he did not go to the BMTF, Babu said once he had approached the BMTF and staff there had asked him to give a complaint to the local police first. “We have only followed what the BMTF had instructed us. If there is a need to seek BMTF permission, we will do that too,” he said.

Muniraju issued show-cause notices to Babu and two ward engineers asking them why stringent action should not be taken against them. 

“I have given the engineers a week's time to explain why my orders were not followed. It is apparent that these engineers are reluctant to raze the buildings,” he said.

The demolition was ordered on the complaints by the Hanuma Hills Residents’ Welfare Association. The RWA members filed many RTI applications and traced that there were at least 20 such apartments in the Uttarahalli ward near Chikka Kallasandra. Many government properties including roads were gobbled up by the land sharks in connivance with the Uttarahalli ward officers. The RTI documents accessed by them showed that fake entries were made in the panchayath registers and bogus khathas were issued. Further, fake building plans were created. 

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(Published 30 May 2016, 20:05 IST)

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