BBMP faces protest over clearing SWD encroachment

Various citizen groups led by freedom fighter H S Doreswamy on Friday staged a protest against the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for not clearing encroachment of stormwater drains (SWDs).

“Due to the high court’s pressure, the Palike cleared the poor people’s houses encroaching the drains without any action plan in 2008. But actor Darshan and former minister Shamanuru Shivashankarappa’s houses are still not brought down despite being constructed on the SWDs. While the corporation did not issue notices to the poor, it issued notices to influential people, thus helping them to bring stay against the demolition, ” he said.

H S Doreswamy, cautioning BBMP Chief N Manjunatha Prasad, said: “Lakes are stinking due to contamination. But officials are submitting false information to the court. An intensified protest will be staged if it does not prepare an action plan to clean the lakes and clear the SWDs encroachment,” he said.

Reacting to this BBMP Commissioner Manjunatha Prasad said: “The lakes in the city are owned by the land revenue department and the Palike only maintains them.”

“We have proposed to clear 120 encroachments every month and the nursery farm in Chikkalasandra lake will be cleared by tomorrow,” he said.