BBMP to assess storm water drain encroachments within 10 days

Karnataka High Court issues directive to BBMP on surveying encroachments

Residents are encouraged to report observable encroachments to BBMP

In compliance with a directive from the High Court, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is actively seeking the support of the public to promptly detect and assess encroachments on storm water drains within a 10-day timeframe.

Residents are strongly encouraged to report any observable encroachments to the executive engineers responsible for their respective zones and Koramangala Valley.

BBMP recently issued a public notice, urging citizens to actively participate in the identification and survey of encroachments on storm water drains. This directive stems from a court order (WP case no. 38401/2014) by the Karnataka High Court, mandating that the Palike identify and conduct surveys of all encroachments within the stipulated 10-day window.

To facilitate this process, the Palike has designated eight executive engineers, each representing a specific zone, and one executive engineer for the Koramangala Valley to receive reports from the public.

Upon receiving information from the public, a systematic procedure will be followed. Complaints will undergo inspection and then be forwarded to the Tehsildar. Subsequently, the Tehsildar will conduct the survey, and BBMP officials will ensure the removal of encroachments.

As reported by Bangalore Mirror, activist Sandeep Anirudhan highlighted the existence of a GIS platform with comprehensive spatial data for the city. This GIS platform is maintained by the Karnataka Geographic Information System (KGIS) department and includes layers for rajakaluve (stormwater drains) and lakes. These layers can be overlaid on Google Earth to detect encroachments, and the latest version of Google Earth can even identify newly encroached areas.