BDA demolishes illegal structures

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, NOV. 28. The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which is now in the forefront of ensuring an orderly development of the Bangalore agglomeration, today undertook a major demolition of unauthorised structures on the Airport Road.

In a swift operation, which was also smooth thanks to meticulous planning, the BDA took charge of around 3.5 acres of land estimated to be worth over Rs. 25 crores. While a two-storeyed air-conditioned complex allegedly owned by a local gangster was demolished close to the Indiranagar side of the Airport Road, several structures on a three-acre plot further down the road were also razed. Soon after the demolition, the personnel of the BDA assisted by the local police took charge of the valuable properties.

The BDA Commissioner, Mr. Jayakar Jerome, and the Deputy Commissioner, Mr. R.Rameshappa, who were supervising the demolition, told The Hindu that the authorities had fought a legal battle with the encroachers for nearly a decade. With a civil court passing its final order on the matter only about a week ago, the BDA thought it fit to immediately go in for the demolition since a time lag could always possibly lead to another round of legal battle.

The air-conditioned complex demolished, though not of the same size as the ones demolished sometime ago at Koramangala and at Hennur on the outer-ring road, was also allegedly owned by a "land grabber" and "local thug" against whom the Bangalore City police had registered several criminal cases.

While the massive building at Koramangala, which housed a software company, had also been unauthorisedly occupied, the building on the outer-ring road which housed the offices and godown of the multinational, Sony Corporation, was also owned by a land grabber. But for the firm handling of the cases by Mr. Jerome and his team of officials, the BDA would have reportedly been forced to give in to the pressure exerted by the unauthorised occupants who had the backing of several politicians, it was said.

Mr. Jerome said the BDA had attempted to demolish the same structure two years ago when the anti-social elements in the area locked up the BDA engineers and the task force personnel, and beat them up. Later, the BDA could not do much owing to the pressure exerted by a former minister hailing from a nearby Assembly constituency.

Sources in the BDA said the local police, led by the Deputy Commissioner (East), Mr. K.L.Sudheer, had taken into preventive custody a number of anti-social elements on the Airport Road- Indiranagar belt beginning Monday evening fearing a reprisal from them following the demolition. People residing in the area were also kept at bay to prevent a gathering which could lead to unruly incidents. Three platoons of the Karnataka State Reserve Police were also stationed at the spot.

The BDA now has special equipment to carry out demolitions. While in the case of the Koramangala demolition, a giant mechanical hammer was summoned, in the present demolition excavators were used to pull down the building.

This was the first time that the BDA had executed a demolition on the Airport Road and sources said many more such exercises would follow in the near future. The Chief Minister, Mr. S.M.Krishna, has directed the BDA and the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike to raze all unauthorised constructions on the Airport Road, and even a leading hospital on the road has been served a notice by the BMP authorities.

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