BDA officials evict fruit vendors on Deve Gowda road

BENGALURU: Officials of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) on Wednesday evicted residents at Khaji Nagar on Deve Gowda Road, RT Nagar, without prior notice and left them destitute. A vendor, who had been running a wholesale fruit business from a rented premises on Deve Gowda Road, was given no notice or warning before the BDA officials arrived with police protection and removed his shop using four excavators.

The vendor had invested around Rs 10-12 lakh to build a godown-style shop and had been paying a monthly rent of Rs 60,000 to the landlord. Despite pleading for an hour’s time to shift his belongings, the BDA officials refused, leaving him with significant losses.

It seems that 50 years ago, brothers Riyaz Ahmed and Mahmud Yaseer bought this land. They claimed to have all the necessary documents, including land records and electricity bills. However, the BDA officials claim that the land belongs to them.

The sudden demolition has left the vendor and his family without a livelihood and they are now struggling to make ends meet. The incident has sparked concerns about the BDA’s demolition practices and the impact on small businesses and traders.

Iqbal Ahmed said, “We have been doing fruits wholesale business here for seven years. Recently we did renovation at the shop with AC facility. This morning BDA officials had come, gave us 15 minutes to take our belongings, and threatened to demolish everything. Our family came to the streets. I did not get any prior notice. I am paying Rs 60,000 as rent. My family is depending on this business for livelihood”.

Another vendor, Yaseer, said the officials demolished everything and damaged a cold storage unit worth Rs 3 lakh. “Fruits were damaged; they were only unloaded here yesterday. I don’t know what to do next. who will bear the loss? They threw everything on the street. The owner is saying he does know about it. There are 10 people who are depending on me and my business”, he said.