Activists protest granting of SWD land for building

Days after submitting to the Supreme Court that following the National Green Tribunal’s order would result in razing 95% of buildings in the city, the BBMP seems to have thrown all the rules to the wind by allocating SWD land to major builders.

The issue was brought to the fore by pro-Kannada activists whose protest against the BBMP’s move brought a senior official from the corporation to the spot on Tuesday.

The protest mainly focused on a building being constructed on SWD land at Mahadevapura. They said the new dimensions of the buffer zones given by the NGT should be respected and considered before permitting construction.

Manjesh, Joint Director, BBMP Town Planning Department, arrived at the spot and told the protesters that the construction has been stayed.

“The matter will be brought to the notice of the commissioner,” he said.

The activists, however, said a stay was not enough, and they would scale up the protest if the building was not demolished.

They submitted a request to withdraw all the sanctions granted to major builders to construct buildings on SWD land. The new dimensions of buffer zones given out by the NGT should be respected and considered before the sanction of land, they added.

Harish, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Yuva Sena state president, said: “Many buildings take permission for ground plus three floors but construct four or more floors. Moreover, these are built on SWD land and lead to flooding.” The NGT’s new directions should be respected, he added.