Lt Colonel Niranjan Kumar was among 7 military personnel who died in the Pathankot terror attack
Highlights
- After flooded roads, big demolition drive in Bengaluru
- Bengaluru hero died in line of duty at Pathankot air force base
- Part of his home must go, say officials; give us time, says family
Images of Bengaluru, deluged with knee-high water, people fishing on the streets, boats out to rescue stranded commuters, turned national attention late last month to India's Silicon Valley in utter shamble.
Shamed, the administration has begun demolishing illegal construction that covered drains essential for siphoning away excess water. More than 100 buildings have been razed this week; another 1,100 have been identified for full or partial deletion from the city's maps in the next four months.
Among those marked for some irregularities is the two-storied home of Lieutenant Colonel Niranjan Kumar, who was among the seven military personnel who died in the terror attack on the Pathankot air force base in January.
"We built this nice home 15 years ago. We got all the clearances and did not know it was close to a storm water drain," said his mother, Radha Kumar, to NDTV. She said the city's corporation says two pillars will be removed - which means the first floor will no longer exist. "If they give us time, we will do it ourselves," she urged.
"If 2 pillars are removed, the first floor won't exist," said Lt Colonel Niranjan Kumar's mother to NDTV
The issue has had an emotional response with people upset that a martyr's family has to go through this additional pressure. In recognition of the sensitivity of the issue - as well as the strident criticism by the opposition BJP - the government has offered help with Home Minister G Parameshwara offering to explore alternatives.
Lieutenant Kumar's brother, Shashank, said the family does not want or need compensation - only time to bring the pillars that support an extension that was built as a home for the braveheart. Part of the compound wall of the house has already been razed.
Lt Colonel Niranjan Kumar's home is among the buildings marked for irregularities.
"The extension was built for Niranjan... We are with the public and are ready to bring down the pillar - but we need time. We have got no response to our request for time," said Shashank Kumar about the house in the North East part of the city which allegedly covers part of a storm water drain.
"They have my sympathies, but we are undertaking a painstaking task and public good comes above private good," said Manjunath Prasad, who heads the city's municipal corporation.
Angry residents, however, have complained on social media that officials ignored a growing problem for years, signed off on plans that allowed the construction now deemed illegal, and are now depriving people of a roof over their heads. Cases against 20 officials have been filed for allowing these structures to come up in the first place.