Bengaluru: Major Companies Responsible For Choking 700 SWDs But Only Common Man’s Properties Razed

In the aftermath of heavy rains leading to floods in Karnataka’s capital Bengaluru, the Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is conducting a demolition drive of apartments built illegally in different parts of the city in full swing.

The civic body is actively clearing the encroachments of the Raj canal. A total of 18 encroachments, including the Mahadevpur zone and Yalahanka zones, were cleared on Tuesday.

An internal note of the BBMP tasked with clearing up the mess reveals that several high-profile builders, IT majors, and hospitals figure among the encroachers, who are allegedly responsible for choking almost 700 storm water drains (SWD), IANS reported.

The list shared by the BBMP on Tuesday on social media shows some of Bengaluru’s biggest IT parks and commercial buildings such as Wipro, Prestige, Eco Space, Salarpuria, Bagmane Tech Park, Columbia Asia Hospital and Divyashree Villas.

Many of the illegal constructions have already been receiving notices and the BBMP is demolishing multiple such structures.

According to reports, the local body is razing down many properties of the common man, while the high-profile buildings remain untouched.

The BBMP has targeted the Mahadevapura area, which is dense with buildings blocking water’s natural flow.

Due to severe flooding, the tech parks near the Outer Ring Road (ORR) have also caused heavy traffic congestion for miles.

The Manyata tech park remained completely inundated when it was pouring in the city.

Meanwhile, the BBMP on Tuesday also demolished some buildings in Yelahanka.

Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka on Tuesday took a tough stance against encroachers and told ANI that all pending demolitions would be finished in the pattern of the Noida Twin Towers by the next monsoon.