Mysuru: The taluk administration this morning launched a drive to clear encroachments on Dewan Poornaiah Canal (Raja Kaluve) near Railway Layout in Bogadi by demolishing six houses in one site and one house in another.

One Timmegowda, had built six AC (Asbestos Cement) sheet houses on a 60’x90’ site and one Swamy had built an AC sheet house in another site measuring 38’x40’ right on the canal. The two had rented out the houses.

As the houses were illegally built on Government land, the Taluk Administration, upon conducting a survey, had served notices to the owners one month ago and had given 15 days time to vacate the houses.

But as the owners did not do so, Tahsildar T. Ramesh Babu accompanied by staff and a JCB machine went ahead with the demolition of houses, when the house owners Timmegowda and Swamy strongly resisted, claiming that the sites on which the houses were built were not Government land. Soon Tahsildar Ramesh Babu sought the help of the jurisdictional Saraswathipuram Police, who rushed to the spot. The demolition operation resumed with Police protection and all the houses were demolished in a couple of hours.

Later speaking to SOM, Tahsildar Ramesh Babu said that the Taluk Administration has discovered that there were about 40 more houses built on Dewan Poornaiah Canal which need to be vacated. The taluk administration will conduct a thorough survey to clear the encroachments  and thereafter issue notices to the house occupants to vacate, he said and added that the taluk administration was working out a plan to clear all such encroachments in other places too.