Local residents and AAP volunteers took out a protest march on Sunday, seeking the removal of a stormwater drain encroachment that has become the cause of perennial flooding in parts of Southeast Bengaluru.
Around 200 people marched for about four kilometres, passing through such areas as Green Villae Layout, Junnasandra, KPCL Layout, Kasavanahalli, Kaikondrahalli and Wipro Junction and carrying placards.
The protest came days after two localities with nearly 1,000 houses were flooded by rainwater, forcing residents to stay indoors.
Quoting a notice issued by the Bengaluru East tahsildar, protesters said the root cause of flooding in the area was the encroachment of 0.3 gunta on a drain in Halanayakanahalli. Although the district administration had promised to remove encroachments, it is yet to act on them, they added.
The protesters accused elected representatives of siding with the real estate mafia by not clearing the encroachments.
Ashok Mruthyunjaya of the AAP said the Bellandur ward contributes around Rs 120 crore in property tax every year. “But we do not have even the most basic facilities. Junnasandra does not have a drainage system. Sewage water has gushed into 400 homes. The entire neighbourhood has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” he said.
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