The Hindu 10.12.2010
‘No more demolitions without notice'
BANGALORE: In a landmark decision that is expected to bring back smiles on the faces of land and house owners whose buildings are marked for demolition, the State Government on Wednesday said it would not demolish buildings or structures in the State or evict people from their land without giving sufficient notice. The Government made this submission in the form of an affidavit before the Karnataka High Court.
Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary of the Department of Urban Development Subhir Hari Singh filed an affidavit to this effect before the court of Justice D V. Shylendra Kumar.
Justice Shylendra Kumar had last week asked the Commissioner of BDA and the Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department (UDD) to be present on Wednesday to explain the rationale of the BDA in demolishing homes and structures without giving sufficient notice.
Justice Shylendra Kumar had taken exception to the manner in which the BDA had demolished houses in RMV Extension without affording sufficient opportunity to the house owners.
Government advocate Dodderri submitted an affidavit to the court. The affidavit by Mr. Singh stated that the Government had issued a notification to all urban development bodies, including the BDA, to ensure that no demolition was carried out without giving sufficient notice.
The affidavit said the due process of law would be followed whenever houses or structures are marked for demolition. The same process would be followed in the case of Ropeena Agrahara, Mr. Dodderi told the court.
