Wipro springs into action, begins razing encroachments

As BBMP officials prepared to remove encroachments, IT major Wipro on Monday volunteered to rip away the concrete slabs covering the stormwater drain by deploying an earthmover.

The BBMP said Wipro has built a concrete slab atop the stormwater drain for 2.4 metres although it neither encroached on the drain that flows inside its campus nor reduced the width.

“A portion of the slab has been removed. The work was stopped midway due to concerns it would destabilise the permanent structures constructed by Wipro and Salarpuria next to the drain. The remaining slabs would be removed on Tuesday by using gas cutters instead of earthmovers,” a senior Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) official said.

Wipro’s Sarjapur Road campus, one of several offices and houses affected by the recent floods, is located between Halanayakanahalli Lake and Sowl Kere.

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On Monday, the BBMP also razed the upper cement slab that was covering the drain near Greenwood Residency. A similar exercise at Salarpuria, officials said, would be taken after the builder completes drain work inside the premises.

A Wipro spokesperson said: “Wipro remains committed to supporting the ecology of the area it operates in. We are proactively working with the BBMP to increase the capacity and access of the stormwater drain passing through our Doddakannelli campus, built as per plans sanctioned by the authorities concerned.”

Bagmane, Puravankara in trouble

Two prominent builders Bagmane Group and Puravankara Limited are also accused of encroaching on the drain. A fresh survey ordered by the high court found the builders have encroached in Garudachar Palya.

The BBMP plans to start the encroachment clearance drive after the Land Records and Survey Settlement Department issues notice to the encroachers, sources said.

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The survey report said Bagmane Tech Park built a park by covering the upper portion of the drain (survey number 35/1) encroaching about two guntas. Puravankara’s Purva Parkridge villa property encroached the drain at three places on the same stretch.

The builder has taken 0.25 guntas and 0.75 guntas of the drain to build a villa, road, and passage. It has also encroached a further 0.25 guntas and 1.5 guntas on the drain to build a road and a park, the survey found.

DH has seen the survey report that was prepared last week under the high court’s directions.

In an email response, Puravankara Ltd promised to work with the authorities in the public interest to find a long-term solution to the challenges faced in the city.

“Purva Parkridge is developed and completed as per the plan approved by the BDA following the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) of 1995. The development sanction was received in 2004, and the project was completed in 2008. The existing zoning and CDP plans for the area were submitted to the authorities for approval at the time, and end-to-end compliance was ensured,” Abhishek Kapoor, CEO of Puravankara Ltd, said.

“We will work towards finding a solution, keeping in mind the overall development in the area and the legal rights of the people involved,” Kapoor added.