Bengaluru demolition drive: BBMP asks encroachers to DIY, puts up storm-water drain maps

Bengaluru, Aug 16: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has put online 'village maps' and survey numbers of properties encroaching upon Raja Kaluves (traditional storm-water drains) in an effort to inform and warn people where its bulldozers might be headed next as it continues its drive to demolish illegal structures built on the storm-water drains.

Following much criticism as well as requests from property owners to let them demolish the offending structures themselves, BBMP has requested people to remove encroachments on their own, based on the maps http://bbmp.gov.in/en/web/guest/encroachment-details

The move comes after human rights bodies directed the BBMP to issue notices before carrying out demolitions.

The BBMP has put up maps of the storm-water drains from 1923, BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad told OneIndia.

These maps, linking to Survey Settlements and Land Records, provides a view of encroachments in Bengaluru East, Bengaluru North and Bengaluru North Additions, using village maps and survey numbers.

It has also put up zone and ward details indicating which areas of east, west, south, Rajarajeshwarinagar, Dasarahalli, Yelahanka, Bommanahalli and Mahadevapura zones would fall under the demolition drive.

The BBMP has, however, not put up information of specific properties that are in violation. Prasad said the BBMP did not have the property identification numbers (PIDs) of these properties to be able to do so. "Since these are illegal structures, BBMP has not issued PID numbers," he said.

Shockingly, though, he said that if Khata had been granted to any of these properties, the Khata itself would be illegal and the PID numbers allotted would be incorrect.

The drains were mapped by the Revenue Department and officials were relying on these 'village maps' to carry out the demolition drive, he added.

OneIndia News