Kumaraswamy dares CM to raze homes of netas, officials

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Friday dared Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to order demolition of illegal buildings of politicians and IAS and IPS officers at the posh Dollar’s Colony and JP Nagar.

Influential people have constructed palatial bungalows spending crores of rupees in these areas in Bengaluru. But a major portion of these areas is developed on lake land.

Instead of demolishing small houses built on drains, the Chief Minister should first demolish illegal bungalows of influential people, including big builders and developers, he told reporters, reacting to the ongoing demolition drive by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

A majority of those who have lost their houses in the demolition drive are innocent. They have constructed houses either by taking loans or with their life-time’s savings. The government should have first taken action against builders who cheated these people by selling illegal properties, he added.

“I admit we all (politicians) are responsible for the sorry state of affairs in Bengaluru. I also agree that encroachment of drains should be cleared. But it is not proper to victimise gullible people in the name of setting right the lapses...The government should make alternative arrangements for people before bringing down their houses,” he stated.