The Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner has issued notices to Sandalwood actor Darshan and a hospital owned by former minister Shamanur Shivashankarappa’s family.
On September 28, the Bengaluru South Tahsilar issued notices to actor Darshan’s house and SS Hospital, which are located in Rajarajeshwari Nagar.
Darshan’s house is one of close to 200 houses in the Ideal Homes Layout in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, and Shivashankarappa’s family’s SS hospital is said to have been built on storm water drain in Halagevaderahalli village.
The notices have been issued under Section 104 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act 1964, the parties concerned are supposed to furnish documents of the properties built on encroached land within seven days (October 5), failing which the government would assume that there were no objections, and demolish the buildings. The cost of the demolition would also be recovered from the encroachers.
The notices come weeks after the BBMP began its demolition drive on August 4, following floods in several areas of the city after a bout of heavy rain on July 28. The rains caused flooding in Madiwala, Bellandur, Kodichikkanahalli, Silk Board junction and other areas primarily because primary storm water drains (rajakaluves) were encroached upon by buildings.
Following this, the Department of Survey, Settlements and Land Records and the BBMP surveyed properties across the city to clear encroachments of the storm water drains. Many houses were demolished, either partially or in full to reclaim the encroached storm water drains. As public outcry grew, so did suspicion that the prominent people and powerful businesses were being let off. In response to this, the government uploaded survey maps of encroachments, but through which encroachments could not actually be identified. These eventually led to calls for making public, the list of properties encroaching the rajakaluves and the extent of encroachment.
After a joint report on encroachments was prepared, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike on September 15 passed on the decision to demolish the said properties to the Bengaluru (urban) DC.