Residents struggle to cope with mess of BBMP's hastily carried out demolition drive

BENGALURU: Around six weeks ago, JCBs hired by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) trundled into a number of localities in the city, bringing down around a dozen houses and many commercial establishments that had encroached the raja kaluve. Most of the disaffected residents, who witnessed their houses being reduced to ruins, have since managed to pick up the pieces and come to terms with the loss of their properties. But, people still residing in the localities where the demolitions occurred, are now wondering when the civic body will clear the mounds of debris that are piled everywhere around them.

At

Dassapa Layout

in Doddabommasandra, BBMP razed over 40 shops and partially demolished many houses, recovering about 800m of the drain. Recalling the demolition of her house, Munivenkatamma N, a resident of Doddabommasandra for the past 16 years, said that she had lost property worth Rs 1 crore. "We were informed that the demolition would happen at 9.30am, and we would be responsible for what would happen next," she said.

"We had rented out part of the property, and the tenants who were unaware of the demolition ended up losing many of their belongings. Now, I have to pay them a monthly sum as well," she said. The destruction wiped out a large portion of her house including the kitchen, bathroom, a room and a staircase. "We had to use a ladder after we lost our staircase, which turned out to be very hard for some of the older members," she added.

The road in front of Munivekatamma's house had been dug up for the drain - the residents claim officials are still unsure of its exact width. The ongoing work on the drain has meant residents have to take a circuitous route to get to the main road, and there is also the fear of sending their children out to play on the road lest they stumble into the drain. Lack of a proper approach road, water shortage, breeding of mosquitoes and an overpowering stench from the drain are among some of the woes faced by the residents.

Gangamma, 60, a Doddabommasandra resident for nearly half a century, lost the bathroom and kitchen of her small one-bedroom house. "I have nothing left to lose. We haven't been given any compensation by the government. We had to rebuild the bathroom and toilet," she said. Pointing to the drain running right outsider her house, she said, "The stench from the drain is poisonous."

Samuel, whose photocopy shop is a stone's throw away from Gangama's house, too lost a portion of his establishment, but he has managed to bounce back. "Pre-demolition, there were around 40 shops on this lane, which sold jewellery, textiles, etc. I reopened my shop a few days ago, and built a retaining wall to serve as a barrier between my machines and the drain," he said.

However, most commercial establishments are empty, and bare.

Niharika Alva