D K Shivakumar takes stock of flood-affected areas, vows action against encroachers

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar inspected flood-affected areas in eastern parts of Bengaluru on Thursday. He said that the state government would take strict action against encroachers who obstruct the flow of rainwater by obtaining court stay orders against eviction notices.

"Common people are suffering due to the encroachments of stormwater drains. Some people are preventing officials from clearing encroachments by approaching the court. If these encroachers do not cooperate, we know how to tackle them under the realm of law," Shivakumar said.

Sources from the BBMP indicated that the Deputy CM was considering the Disaster Management Act to clear encroachments.

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Shivakumar emphasised that when encroachers occupy government property, there is no need to issue notices.

"I have given a free hand to the BBMP to clear encroachments," he said.

According to official records, there are a total of 666 encroachments on stormwater drains across the city, with 118 of them currently being contested in court.

Calm and composed

Unlike the initial review meetings where Shivakumar took the officials to task on various subjects, he was largely calm and composed during the city rounds on Thursday. He was also courteous to the BJP MLA, Manjula Limbavali, from Mahadevapura, whom he awaited at every inspection point.

During the rounds, Shivakumar visited Yemalur, Bellandur Lake, Sarjapur, Gunjur, and Varthur Lake. While inspecting the ongoing work along the stormwater drain near the DivyaSree 77 apartment complex, which was flooded last year, he instructed officials to ensure that the drain maintains a consistent width of 12 metres, as some sections had been reduced to 7 metres.

At the next stop near Bellandur Lake, he noticed that the sluice gate was not functioning. He waited for the BDA engineers who promised to fix it, but they were unable to make it operational. Visibly displeased, Shivakumar directed the BDA to promptly repair the sluice gate. Along the way, he inquired about the progress of work at Bellandur Kodi Bridge, which is unlikely to be completed before the monsoon.

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Shivakumar stopped right in front of Rainbow Drive Layout on Sarjapur Road. Although the authorities claimed to have addressed the flooding issues outside the housing estate, no work had been done inside the layout due to a lack of consensus regarding the construction of a new stormwater drain to replace the encroached one.

The special bus that ferried Shivakumar stopped near a private apartment complex in Gunjur to inspect the stormwater drain before arriving at Varthur Lake. Shivakumar was happy with the completion of desilting work in the lake but found the sewage diversion channel filled with weeds and plants. He also found the sluice gate dysfunctional.

On social media, some citizen groups suggested that he notify the public in advance when he undertakes city rounds so that the local residents can meet him and voice their concerns.