Karnataka deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar said on Thursday that he has ordered Bengaluru civic authorities to demolish buildings obstructing the natural flow of rainwater and contributing to flooding.
Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru development portfolio, said, “The chief minister and I have already visited the rain-affected areas. This is a very important junction. The problem started here and has since spread to other areas.”
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He added that individuals obstructing the natural flow of water have obtained stay orders from the court, and even civic officials were not cooperating to reduce flooding in these areas.
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"Therefore, I have instructed officials to remove the buildings causing the problem under the Disaster Management Act," he said.
Shivakumar urges landowners to cooperate
{{/usCountry}}"Therefore, I have instructed officials to remove the buildings causing the problem under the Disaster Management Act," he said.
Shivakumar urges landowners to cooperate
{{/usCountry}}Shivakumar clarified that the government does not intend to damage anyone’s property or act unjustly, but it was important to find a permanent solution to ensure the rainwater would flow smoothly and not cause inconvenience.
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“We are not keen to take away anyone's property and give them trouble. I am visiting the problem spots myself to verify. Everyone has agreed to allow the works to continue. But it is important to find a permanent solution. We don't want to demolish any random building, but it is important to ensure that rainwater flows smoothly without causing a flood. We can't allow Bengaluru's reputation to go down the drain,” he said, as quoted by ANI.
The Karnataka deputy CM also urged landowners to cooperate, saying, “If a mistake has occurred due to technical reasons, we will provide compensation. We need a permanent solution to this issue. Everyone has agreed, and we will continue our work.”
The deputy CM had inspected various areas in Bengaluru, prone to flooding during the rains, including the Manyata Tech Park, where stormwater drains had contributed to water being inundated.
He also stated that the chief commissioner of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, M Maheshwar Rao, had been given full authority to remove encroachments.
With inputs from PTI