Banasavadi lake encroachment clearance starts

Bengaluru: The Tehsildar office staff of Bengaluru East Taluk has started the operation to clear the encroached area in Banasawadi lake on Thursday. Sarvajnanagar MLA KJ George held a meeting on October 19 and instructed the city collector and tehsildar that all encroachments should be cleared. As per the orders of Tehsildar of East Taluk, the staff has started the evacuation operation of Banasawadi lake yard. The evacuation operation will be conducted for three days.

Occupiers had an argument with the Tehsildar and staff during the encroachment eviction operation on Thursday. Some tried to put pressure by calling ministers and other MLAs.

In East Taluk Banasawadi Survey No. 211, BDA has constructed a layout in an area of 14 acres 27 guntes in a lake of 42 acres 38 gunte. In 2015, the then Tehsildar Harish issued all kinds of notices and issued orders to clear the private encroachments. Accordingly, the encroachment was cleared. There was an order for eviction from the Lokayukta as well. But again there is encroachment in this area. Commercial shops and residential houses have also been constructed. All these unauthorized encroachments will be cleared,'' East Taluk Tehsildar Ajith Kumar has issued an order. Lokayukta, BDA, Tahsildar have referred to the court order and Sarvajnanagar MLA meeting proceedings have been mentioned in this order.

"Temple- 6.12 gunte, petrol station, service station, commercial shops and buildings including 1 acre 28.9 gunte, BBMP reported. In about 79 cases there is encroachment. All this will be cleared," said the staff of the Tehsildar's office. A nursery and three commercial shops under construction were evacuated on Thursday. The rest of the encroachment is marked. Everything will be cleared from Friday, he said.

MLA KJ George has suggested that all the encroached buildings in Banasawadi lake yard should be vacated. However, some people from his office are putting pressure on the officials not to vacate all encroachments. Thus, only clearing some encroachments, the authorities are on the verge of complacency. Officials who say they will vacate 79 buildings have brought only one JCB. There is a lot of delay in the evacuation operation. Locals Lokesh and Satish Reddy complained that temples, petrol stations and big buildings are not being cleared.