HC stays BBMP move to demolish Ittamadu flats

The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday  restrained the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) from going ahead with the demolition of a portion of Terrace Garden apartments in Ittamadu area for the expansion of a storm water  drain.

Dismissing a petition filed by VN Natarajan and others, justice HN Nagamohan Das stayed the demolition process of the BBMP for a period of two weeks and directed the petitioners to file a civil suit in the lower court.

The petitioners had contended that the BBMP had decided to widen a 20 feet stretch of the storm water drain in survey number 1/3 in Ittamadu  and decided to demolish one block of the apartments. The widening of storm water drain was not in the original proposal of the BBMP, and the civic body later digressed from its original plan, the petitioners argued.

The BBMP has no power to demolish any portion of the apartment as it was approved by the BDA. The petitioners had sought a directive to the BBMP not to digress from its original plan for storm water drain works.