Bagmane Group admits to encroaching rajakaluve for building its centre in B’luru tech park
BBMP survey confirms Puravankara villas built illegally on stormwater drain; residents shocked
Bengaluru: While Bagmane World Technology Centre of the Bagmane Group has admitted to having encroached upon the stormwater drains (rajakaluve) in the tech park area, it has also said that the main culprit is the adjacent Puravankara Purva Parkridge.
Bagmane World Technology Centre was among the 15 big names accused of having contributed to the flood mess in the state capital last week by encroaching upon drains. An area of approximately 2.4 meters of the drain in the IT Corridor in east Bengaluru has been encroached upon by the Bagmane Centre.
GP Chakravarthi, general manager of the Group, admitted, “We covered the drains with slabs, but only to prevent the backflow of the water from the Mahadevapura Lake. If not, our tech park would have been flooded,” insisting, however, on the role played by Puravankara Purva Parkridge Villas in the flooding of the area.
On Wednesday, a second official survey confirmed an encroachment in the Puravankara Purva Parkridge area. Two of the 140-odd villas of Puravankara Purva Parkridge are constructed near the boundary wall of the tech park and have apparently encroached upon 2.5 meters of the drains.
While a survey by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike last month had already brought to light the encroachment, the residents of the villas refuted the charges. They also approached the court, complaining that the survey had been conducted in their absence.
As a part of a second survey, in the presence of the residents, the Palike officials visited the villas on Wednesday. It was now confirmed that the villas had indeed been constructed illegally on the stormwater drains.
Now, while the executive engineer Malathi R has said that they would further act based on the decision of the court, the residents are shocked by the outcome of the survey. They have, therefore, said they would fight it out in court.
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Kerala reels under heavy rains; IMD issues red alert in three districts
Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 26 (PTI): Heavy rains since Friday night have caused widespread damage across several parts of Kerala, raising water levels in rivers and dams and uprooting trees, which resulted in one death and injuries to several persons.
It also prompted the India Meteorological Department, on Saturday evening, to upgrade its rain alert status in Ernakulam, Idukki, and Thrissur districts from 'orange' to 'red'.
It also issued an 'orange alert' for Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod districts, and a 'yellow alert' for the remaining three.
A 'red alert' indicates "heavy to extremely heavy" rainfall of over 20 cm in 24 hours. An 'orange alert' denotes "very heavy" rainfall of 11 to 20 cm, while a 'yellow alert' signals "heavy rain" between 6 and 11 cm.
The IMD said rains are likely to persist over the next five days, accompanied by strong winds reaching speeds of 50-60 kmph till Sunday.
Fishing has been advised against along the Kerala-Karnataka-Lakshadweep coasts until July 30 due to rough seas and strong winds.
In Kozhikode, overnight rains and strong winds uprooted trees and caused extensive damage to houses and vehicles, prompting shifting of several families to safer places. However, no one was injured.
Power lines and electric poles were brought down, disrupting supply in many parts of the district.
Similar incidents were reported from Kottayam, Palakkad, and Kannur districts.
In Kannur, one person died when a tree fell on his house. In similar incidents in the district, few others were injured.
In Kottayam, besides the damage to homes due to uprooted trees, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) suffered a loss of Rs 2.43 crore due to several electric poles and power cables being brought down by the strong winds and rain in the district on Friday and Saturday.
In Kuttanad and Upper Kuttanad regions of Alappuzha district, the heavy rains resulted in inundation of several low-lying areas, including roads and homes, and rise in river waters to dangerous levels.
With water levels rising in their catchment areas, shutters of the Banasura Sagar dam in Wayanad, the Aliyar dam in Palakkad and Kakkayam Dam in Kozhikode district have been raised to release excess water.
Residents living downstream have been advised to stay vigilant.
The Irrigation Design and Research Board (IDRB) and Central Water Commission (CWC) have issued alerts for several rivers that have "risen dangerously", including the Manimala, Achankovil, and Pamba rivers in Pathanamthitta; Vamanapuram in Thiruvananthapuram; Pallikkal in Kollam, Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam and Thodupuzha in Idukki.
People residing along riverbanks have been urged to exercise caution and avoid entering or crossing the water bodies.
Meanwhile, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has warned of possible sea surges and high waves reaching 2.8 to 3.4 metres along the Kasaragod and Alappuzha coasts till 8.30 pm on Sunday.
Fishermen and coastal residents have been advised to remain alert, it added.
