Wedding hall demolition ties couples up in knots

The demolition of portions of two marriage halls at Rajarajeshwarinagar has not only left the property owners in the lurch but has also shocked those who had booked these halls.

The families of H L Yashwanth and Chinmayi, who were supposed to tie the nuptial knot at the Padmavathi Kalyana Mantapa on Saturday, were baffled at the sudden turn of events.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has taken up the demolition of buildings on stormwater drains following flash floods on July 28 and 29. Yashwanth's father H D Lingaraju said, “Tomorrow, we have fixed the wedding and now the demolition drive is going on. We have no idea how to conduct this wedding at this juncture.”

Family members of Yashwanth and Chinmayi said the BBMP should have taken into consideration the plight of such families who will have to search for marriage halls at such a short notice.

Meanwhile, the BBMP bulldozed four buildings in the IV Block of Panchasheelnagar of Rajarajeshwarinagar. The drive started in the morning. After flattening four buildings, the BBMP officials moved to remove three buildings on stormwater drains in BEML Layout III Stage.

Residents seek time

When the BBMP team went to demolish a building, its owner Y N Narasimhaiah urged the Palike officials to give him 15 days’ time so that he himself could remove the encroached portion. Another resident, Venkatanathan, a portion of whose house has also been marked for demolition, said if the pillars are destroyed, the whole building will collapse.

“We need time to erect another supporting pillar and it requires time. We ourselves will remove the encroached portion,” he said. The Joint Commissioner of Rajarajeshwarinagar Veerabhadrappa said the walls and grills will be removed as of now so that another supporting pillar can be built. “We are giving you two days’ time to remove the pillar,” said Veerabhadrappa.