Bengaluru civic body in action
Bangalore:
A week ago, Gopalan International School in the Mahadevapura area was submerged when it rained heavily in the silicon capital of Bengaluru. Today the digging machine from the cricket pitch was working in the school.
The Bengaluru civic body has identified around 700 encroachments on storm water drains across the city and officials on the ground are ensuring that the encroachments are cleared soon.
Asked if this momentum would continue and if it wasn’t just another eyewitness, Srinivas, assistant executive engineer of the Brihat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike said, “No one will be spared, whether rich or poor. The school has played sports. By encroaching on the storm water drain. About 7.5 meters of drain is below this playground. And this has not gone unnoticed by the BBMP officials.”
Municipal Corporation is running anti-encroachment campaign
Gopalan International School was created in 2010, although the school has denied the allegation that it occupied any land.
“We have not encroached. But only a part of the land is on storm water drain. We are cooperating with the police and civic body. The school had reported floods last week and this time the intensity of the rain was high. And Sunil Kalever, Head Group Admin, Level Gopalan Foundation, said that the water in the lake had also increased, which led to floods.
About 100 meters from the campus wall of this school is the Mahavir Apartment, a part of the apartment is built on a storm water drain.
NDTV spoke exclusively to the residents of the apartment whose building is likely to collapse in the coming days. The residents blame the nexus between the government and the builders and demand to know what is their fault.
“If there was no nexus between the government, bureaucrats and builders, then how was permission given to build apartments on a stormwater canal? Government officials gave permission for the approval plan and now they are breaking the rules themselves. We are of the court. Will stand. We will get the stay order,” Col Krishnan, a resident, told NDTV.
HS Singh, a retired deputy tax commissioner and another resident, who is worried about the collapse of their apartment, said, “All my savings have gone into this apartment. Now we are being told that my apartment is on storm water drain. is sitting. We have got our documents. Initially, before buying the apartment, we were checked through a lawyer. What is our mistake? Let the government arrange an alternate accommodation for us.”
While citizens question the nexus between the government and builders, they also hope that the exercise is not just another sham.