JOIN USChief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said the state government would rehabilitate the poor whose houses faced demolition or had been razed during the recent eviction drive on encroachments on lakebeds.
In an interaction with the media in Bengaluru on the occasion of the completion of two years of the Congress government, Siddaramaiah said the government had already ordered to halt demolition of houses built on layouts formed by the BDA in lakebed areas in Bengaluru. He said that officials, if found involved in irregularities, would not be spared of disciplinary action.
The chief minister said that the government was of the opinion that the interest of the innocent and the poor should be protected while those responsible for the illegal constructions on lakebeds be punished. He said the eviction drive had been taken up on the directions of the courts.
He accused the opposition BJP and JD(S) of shedding “crocodile tears” and supporting the people whose houses had been razed with an eye on the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) polls.
Replying to queries, Siddaramaiah said the government was firm on its stand to trifurcate BBMP but at the same time would abide by the Supreme Court order and hold elections to the civic body within three months.
“We have decided to trifurcate the BBMP to ensure efficient and transparent administration. The division will help in streamlining issues like garbage clearance and addressing grievances of the people. Six new garbage processing units will come up in Bengaluru in the next two months,” he said.
The chief minister blamed the BJP for severe financial crisis in the BBMP. He said the party presented “unscientific” and “unrealistic” budgets between 2010 and 2015 when it enjoyed majority in the civic body.