Bengaluru, Oct 27 (IANS): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Saturday said the drive to demolish unauthorised and substandard quality buildings was continuing in the state capital.
The drive has been taken up following the tragic incident of building collapse reported on Tuesday in Bengaluru resulting in the death of nine persons. The investigation has revealed that substandard work was the reason for the collapse and the construction was taken up illegally.
The probe also revealed that the authorities had washed away their hands after serving notice to the owner.
Addressing a joint press conference with CM Siddaramaiah at Vidhana Soudha after a meeting on rain damage, Shivakumar said: "We have decided to stop unauthorised construction of buildings."
"The previous government had curtailed the powers of officials to take action against unauthorised construction. Our government has decided to give powers to stop unauthorized construction to civic agencies - the BBMP, the BDA, and the BMRDA too. The registration of unauthorized properties will also be stopped. At the same time, we are also focusing on clearing encroachments," he stated.
On criticism by the Opposition leaders about flood relief works, he said: "Two children drowned in a lake in Bengaluru and people died due to substandard construction. There have been no rain-related deaths in the city. We have placed the flood-affected people in hotels and have made arrangements for food. Our officials have worked 24x7."
Asked if there was a permanent solution for flooding, he said: "We have decided to build stormwater drains and develop roads along those stormwater drains. The roads alongside stormwater drains protect buildings in the area and also provide easy access to cleaning and desilting of stormwater drains. In the first phase, we would build such roads for 300 kilometres initially."
Asked what directions were given to DCs of the state during the meeting, he said, “We have instructed them to give compensation wherever there is damage to crops due to rains."
On the BJP's allegations that Congress was doing "politics of appeasement" by acquiring farmers' land through Wakf, he said he would not want to comment on that.