BBMP bulldozes encroachment by Bengaluru school owned by Congress MLA

He added that the offending structure was on a stretch of 150 metres behind the school building, which had been compounded and slabs laid on the enclosed drain of about 2.5-metre width,

This, he said, was getting cleared by the JCBs to give way for the stormwater drain channel to head to Bellandur Lake.

The Nalapad Academy in Challaghatta. (Supplied)

The demolition of the encroachment at the MLA’s school embarrassed both the lawmaker and the Congress as, on 6 September, Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee president and Harris’ son Mohammed Haris Nalapad used an inflated rubber tube on Bengaluru’s inundated Outer Ring Road (ORR) in Bellandur to protest against the state government demanding a solution to the waterlogging in the city.

Nalapad was seen sitting on the rubber tube on the flooded ORR stretch in Bellandur, held by his supporters by his arms.

He went on to tweet in Kannada that Bengaluru was flooded due to the BJP’s 40 percent commission greed.

Srinivasalu told South First that since the demolition was at an educational institute, and since there was full cooperation by its owner and the management, the BBMP’s work had become easier.

“There is a canteen at the academy near the encroachment, and the management has asked for some time to shift it, after which we will clear that stretch by Thursday, which is about 30 percent of the total 150-metre encroachment,” Srinivasalu said.

Since the stretch of the SWD was being encroached by the Nalapad Academy, there was flooding at a low-lying area in front of the academy where a huge gated community apartment named Shriram Spandhana stands, a stone-throw away from the Embassy Golf Links, the tecidor’s rear gate.

A local resident told South First that in the first week of September, when the rainwater flooded their house, it was first up to their knee level before it started rising.

BBMP sources said they have identified over 700 encroachments on SWDs, a majority of them in the eastern part of Bengaluru.

According to a BBMP assistant engineer, major IT/BT firms like Wipro, Bagmane Techpark, and Ecospace have encroached upon stormwater drains, but the BBMP initially started their demolition drive on smaller-to-medium-size and regular three-storyed buildings and commercial complexes.

“These encroachments are usually partial, like a portico, pillars, a foundation on which nothing is built, or aerial encroachment such as sunshades,” a BBMP official told South First.

The Congress MLA’s Nalapad Academy’s encroachment demolition was an exception, where a big fish was touched, sources pointed out.

Wednesday was officially the third day of the demolition drive being carried out by the BBMP.

At least 33 encroachments had been cleared over the past two days, according to the civic authority.

“On Monday, 15 encroachments were cleared, and on Tuesday, about 18 of them were cleared. After the issuing of notices, a lot of explanation and convincing by BBMP officials along with the revenue officials with village maps in hand and surveyors were at work amid the presence of the police to convince building owners for smooth demolition of encroachments,” said the BBMP official.

On Wednesday, demolition drives were carried out at Vagdevi School in the Papireddy Layout to clear the SWD flowing towards the Varthur lake; at the Shantiniketan Layout for SWDs towards the Outer Ring Road side; and from Challaghatta’s Nalapad Academy for the SWD leading to the Bellandur Lake.

Demolition drives were also carried out at Chinnapanahalli, Basavannanagar, Spice Garden, AECS Layout, and Basavanpura.