BBMP had earlier demolished over 100 huts in the migrant colony of Bengalurufearing Bangladeshi presence, making many people from different states homeless overnight.
Bengaluru| The demolition drive carried out by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) that rendered many people from different states homeless was unauthorized, confirmed BBMP.
Narayan Swamy, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE), Mahadevapura Zone, ordered the demolition despite not having any authority to carry it on private land. He took the actions based on the complaints filed by the residents of the area.
“We have relieved him (AEE) and sent him to his parent department – Public Works Department (PWD). We will also be writing to the secretary of the PWD department to take action against him including that of suspension. The demolitions were unauthorized”, BBMP Commissioner Anil Kumar informed.
Commissioner also confirmed that AEE did not have any authority to carry either evictions or demolition of the private land.
The commissioner ordered the demolition and eviction on Saturday & Sunday in the area where many daily wage laborers live. A week back, a video went viral on social media, that claimed many Bangladeshi illegal immigrants were living there. It was later confirmed that most of the people settled there are from states such as Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and even north Karnataka.
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The video was taken in Bellandur area which was also shared by Mahadevapura’s BJP MLA Arvind Limbavali on his Tweeter handle. He claimed that many Bangladeshi immigrants were staying illegally in the area. A news report by one regional channel had also claimed the presence of Bangladeshi immigrants in the settlement.
Whereas, the engineer did not have the authority to undertake demolition. He carried the operation with the help of police on a land that didn’t belong to the civic body.
BBMP commissioner was kept out of the loop during the demolition drive. Around 200 tin and tarpaulin sheds were taken down in Kariyammana Agrahara and 500 such structures were destroyed at Deverabeesanahalli.
The civic body’s special commissioner D. Randeep informed, “Since it is private property, BBMP has no direct authority for eviction. I have asked for the suspension and repatriation of the assistant executive engineer to the parent department.”
Residents of the settlement claimed that they are not illegal immigrants and have documents to prove that they are citizens of the country. Many claimed that they have come from different states of the country to work and since they couldn’t afford a home in the city, they had to stay in the settlement. They also said that now they have nowhere to go since their huts are destroyed.
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