Some called it a week-long earthquake while others described it as a tsunami. For the last eight days the Bangalore Urban district administration’s demolition crew has been tearing down hundreds of buildings around Sarakki Lake to recover encroached land. All around the lake now are shells of building and mounds of rubble.
There is nothing left of A Shivaprasad’s two-storey home where he lived with his wife and two college-going children. “I have lived here for 30 years,” he said. “My loss now is about Rs 1 crore and I earn only Rs 7,000 a month.”
Shivaprasad and his family are now camping out in a tiny two-room accommodation taken on rent while they figure out their next move. Shivaprasad has carefully gathered all documents related to the house he built including an A-khata, a document that brings the property under the city municipality’s jurisdiction and shows that it fulfills all its legal requirements.
Salamma, Shivaprasad’s neighbour, said she has spent the last week sitting in the wreckage of her house waiting for some government official to come by offering alternative housing or some compensation. She has received no word of either, so far.
Dying lakes
Bengaluru’s lakes are in desperate need of rejuvenation. Reports and surveys have been drawn up to show that among the 189 lakes that fall under the jurisdictions of various city authorities more than half are dead or dying. The visible puddle of water left in the Sarakki lake-bed looks and smells like it originated in sewage. The rest of the lake has dried up or overgrown with reeds and water hyacinth. According to official estimates, almost 34 acres of the 82-acre lake area has been encroached upon by more than 130 structures that include independent houses, apartment complexes, colleges and hostels, temples, churches, and government offices. The lake takes its name from the words “Savira Hakki” meaning “thousand birds” but there are hardly any birds in the vicinity now.
The city administration’s action at Sarakki is being called Bengaluru’s biggest-ever demolition drive. In 2013, a group called the People’s Campaign for the Right to Water filed a public interest litigation to stop encroachment at Sarakki and begin restoration of the lake following which the Karnataka High Court ordered that all illegal and unauthorized structures be removed and forcible evictions be conducted if necessary.
Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner V Shankar said that the city faces contempt of court charges if it doesn’t take action against the encroachers. Most residents living around the lake said they didn’t know they were building structures that would be considered encroachments. Some entire building have been torn down. In others, only the few feet that lie outside the legally allowed construction area have been brought down. Many buildings have had a single wall destroyed leaving them looking like shabby three-walled sets of sitcoms, while the drama goes on.
“For all the people who have built here for a last 50 years, the BDA only has taken fees and given approvals,” said Srinivas Reddy. “Why did they give approvals all those times if this was encroachment? Why didn’t they say ‘this is lake encroachment, don’t build here’?” Reddy lives in one of the few buildings that managed to get a stay order against demolition.
“Often in the zeal to have things cleaned up whether lakes or any other place, which people demand and is their legal right, but common people get entangled,” said Arbind Gupta, an activist for lake restoration. “If someone got a plot and got an A-khata and it has been approved, the onus lies completely with the government agencies. Action should be taken against these officials.”
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There is nothing left of A Shivaprasad’s two-storey home where he lived with his wife and two college-going children. “I have lived here for 30 years,” he said. “My loss now is about Rs 1 crore and I earn only Rs 7,000 a month.”
Shivaprasad and his family are now camping out in a tiny two-room accommodation taken on rent while they figure out their next move. Shivaprasad has carefully gathered all documents related to the house he built including an A-khata, a document that brings the property under the city municipality’s jurisdiction and shows that it fulfills all its legal requirements.
Salamma, Shivaprasad’s neighbour, said she has spent the last week sitting in the wreckage of her house waiting for some government official to come by offering alternative housing or some compensation. She has received no word of either, so far.
Dying lakes
Bengaluru’s lakes are in desperate need of rejuvenation. Reports and surveys have been drawn up to show that among the 189 lakes that fall under the jurisdictions of various city authorities more than half are dead or dying. The visible puddle of water left in the Sarakki lake-bed looks and smells like it originated in sewage. The rest of the lake has dried up or overgrown with reeds and water hyacinth. According to official estimates, almost 34 acres of the 82-acre lake area has been encroached upon by more than 130 structures that include independent houses, apartment complexes, colleges and hostels, temples, churches, and government offices. The lake takes its name from the words “Savira Hakki” meaning “thousand birds” but there are hardly any birds in the vicinity now.
The city administration’s action at Sarakki is being called Bengaluru’s biggest-ever demolition drive. In 2013, a group called the People’s Campaign for the Right to Water filed a public interest litigation to stop encroachment at Sarakki and begin restoration of the lake following which the Karnataka High Court ordered that all illegal and unauthorized structures be removed and forcible evictions be conducted if necessary.
Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner V Shankar said that the city faces contempt of court charges if it doesn’t take action against the encroachers. Most residents living around the lake said they didn’t know they were building structures that would be considered encroachments. Some entire building have been torn down. In others, only the few feet that lie outside the legally allowed construction area have been brought down. Many buildings have had a single wall destroyed leaving them looking like shabby three-walled sets of sitcoms, while the drama goes on.
“For all the people who have built here for a last 50 years, the BDA only has taken fees and given approvals,” said Srinivas Reddy. “Why did they give approvals all those times if this was encroachment? Why didn’t they say ‘this is lake encroachment, don’t build here’?” Reddy lives in one of the few buildings that managed to get a stay order against demolition.
“Often in the zeal to have things cleaned up whether lakes or any other place, which people demand and is their legal right, but common people get entangled,” said Arbind Gupta, an activist for lake restoration. “If someone got a plot and got an A-khata and it has been approved, the onus lies completely with the government agencies. Action should be taken against these officials.”