Will demolish unauthorised and poor-quality buildings: Karnataka DyCM DK Shivakumar

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 26 (ANI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar announced on Saturday that the drive to demolish unauthorised and substandard buildings in Bengaluru is ongoing.

Criticising the previous BJP government in the state, Shivakumar remarked that they had “curtailed the powers” of officials to act against unauthorised construction.

During a joint press conference with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at Vidhana Soudha, following a meeting on rain-related damage, Shivakumar said, “We have decided to halt the unauthorised construction of buildings. The previous government had limited the powers of officials to act against such construction. Our government has now decided to empower the BBMP, BDA, and BMRDA to stop unauthorised construction. Additionally, the registration of unauthorised properties will also be halted. We are simultaneously focused on clearing encroachments.”

Responding to criticism from Opposition leaders regarding flood relief efforts in Karnataka, Shivakumar stated, “Two children drowned in a lake in Bengaluru, and people have lost their lives due to substandard construction. However, there have been no rain-related deaths in the city. We have accommodated flood-affected people in hotels and arranged food for them. Our officials have worked around the clock.”

Karnataka has experienced heavy rainfall this October, which is expected to continue through November and December, as forecasted by the India Meteorological Department. The government’s relief work has faced criticism from opposition leaders. Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy accused the Congress government of “turning Bengaluru into Venice,” alluding to the city’s flooding issues, akin to Venice’s famed canals.

When asked if a permanent solution to flooding is in place, Shivakumar replied, “We plan to construct stormwater drains with adjacent roads to protect buildings and facilitate easy cleaning and desilting. In the initial phase, we aim to build about 300 km of such roads.”

Regarding directions given to the state’s Deputy Commissioners, he stated, “We have instructed them to provide compensation wherever crops have been damaged by rains.”

In response to allegations by the BJP that the Congress is engaging in “appeasement politics” by acquiring farmers’ land through the Wakf, Shivakumar declined to comment.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a compensation of Rs1.2 lakh and promised new homes for victims whose houses had completely collapsed due to the rains. He assured that Rs50,000 would be provided for partially collapsed homes.

Siddaramaiah reported that 25 lives have been lost and 85 houses completely collapsed, with a total of 2,070 houses damaged this year due to heavy rainfall. He noted that the state received 181 mm of rainfall, which was “more than expected.”

“We recorded 181 mm of rainfall this monsoon, while it should have been 114 mm, indicating an excess. This year has seen the third-highest rainfall in the past century. In October 2024 alone, we experienced heavy rainfall amounting to 58 mm, which is significantly above the usual,” Siddaramaiah said.