Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike awaits tahsildar's order to demolish 13 villas

BENGALURU: A huge team of BBMP officials with machinery were on Monday found waiting for the KR Puram tahsildar's official order to take up demolition of 13 villas, which are allegedly encroaching two rajakaluves at Rainbow Drive Layout, off Sarjapur Road.
Special commissioner KV Trilok Chandra confirmed that he had been expecting the order to be dispatched any time since Monday morning, but did not receive it till the end of the day despite several enquiries made with the tahsildar, Ajit Kumar Rai.
In the last five months alone, the layout spread over 35 acres has witnessed four instances of flooding, forcing residents to employ tractors and boats to commute. In 2014, the then KR Puram tahsildar had ordered the demolition of nearly 40 houses sitting on two stormwater drains (SWDs) that scythe through this layout - one leading to Halanayakanahalli Lake and another to Junnasandra Lake.
However, the residents went to court and secured a stay order. The high court later directed the revenue department to issue notices and initiate action, if residents failed to provide evidence that their structures weren't encroachments. However, revenue authorities failed to act.
Six years later, the revenue department again carried out the survey and marked 35 houses as encroachments. A few days ago, the tahsildar started issuing notices to property owners to vacate their homes. Trilok Chandra said, "I had learnt that the order would be passed on Monday. I was waiting to receive the same to commence demolition, but it was not dispatched." The Rainbow Drive Layout houses 390 homes. Layout residents argue that their houses have not been built on drains and no rajakaluve passes through their locality. They claim revenue maps show that these are not SWDs but irrigation channels.
Anand Natarajan, president of the layout's residents' association, said he was unaware of the demolition order and notices issued to owners. He maintained that multiple authorities have confirmed that there are no stormwater drains passing through the layout. N Rajendra, another resident, said that about 13-20 houses were served notices by the tahsildar and many are fearing their properties will be demolished any day.