Bengaluru, 29 May

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said on Thursday that he has directed Bengaluru civic authorities to demolish buildings obstructing the natural flow of rainwater and contributing to flooding, invoking the Disaster Management Act.

Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru development portfolio, visited areas in the city that were flooded during the recent rains.

He inspected the stormwater drains that contributed to flooding near Manyata Tech Park.

"The chief minister and I have already visited the rain-affected areas. This is a very important junction. The problem started here and has since spread to other areas," Shivakumar said.

He added that some individuals obstructing the natural flow of water have obtained stay orders from the court, and even some civic officials were not cooperating.

"Therefore, I have instructed officials to remove the buildings causing the problem under the Disaster Management Act," he said.

Shivakumar clarified that the government does not intend to damage anyone’s property or act unjustly.

"The point here is that water should flow smoothly. That’s why I visited and inspected the area myself. It is important to find a permanent solution," he said.

Stressing that the image of Bengaluru should not suffer due to flooding, Shivakumar appealed to landowners to cooperate.

"If a mistake has occurred due to technical reasons, we will provide compensation. We need a permanent solution to this issue. Everyone has agreed, and we will continue our work," he said.

He also stated that the chief commissioner of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, M Maheshwar Rao, has been given full authority to remove encroachments.