Razes stretch of Mantri Mall ramp that was encroaching onto the road
Razes stretch of Mantri Mall ramp that was encroaching onto the road
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The Mantri Mall on Sampige Road is in the news again with the BBMP carrying out a demolition drive. A stretch of ramp encroaching onto the road and delay in timely action from the BBMP had become the bone of contention between the commissioner and opposition leader Uday Shankar in the council yesterday.
Tug-of-war: The delay in timely action from the BBMP had become the
bone of contention between the commissioner and opposition leader
Uday Shankar. Pic/Ramesh H S
Mantri officials were fuming over the demolition plans and accused BBMP of not giving them any prior notice.
"We have suffered a loss of Rs 3 crore. The electrical lamps on that section were imported from Germany and the granite stones along the stretch and fancy benches are all gone. The BBMP contractors behaved like goons. Our reputation has been tainted," said V G Kiran Kumar, vice president, Mantri Developers.u00a0
The BBMP began the demolition drive as early as 8 am and razed the 4-metre stretch of encroaching ramp using JCB bulldozers. In the process, a six-foot fence with decorative lamps was flattened.
When asked whether provocation from the council prompted the commissioner to take swift action, BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah said, "We had repeated discussions on this issue and had informed them earlier. They (Mantri Mall officials) said that they would do the needful on their own. Since no action had been taken, the demolition occurred. I did what had to be done and I do not buckle under pressure tactics from anyone."
While the commissioner claims that they were 'Duty bound' to conduct the demolition, the opposition leader alleges that it was a smooth strategy. "This is clearly a strategy adopted by the Congress to get work done within the legal frame work. If we had not resorted to the disruption of the council, it would not have been possible to conduct the drive. We are happy, but only little has been done. We suggest that the entire project should be subjected to a detail enquiry" said Udayshankar leader of opposition in BBMP.
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