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Bengaluru's public land continues to face systematic takeover, and this time it's railway property adjacent to the Silk Board Sericulture Station Farm in Kodathi that's under threat.A recent on-ground video investigation reveals clear signs of deliberate encroachment by real estate interests, reportedly operating with local support. The footage documents a disturbing step-by-step pattern used to illegally occupy valuable government land:

• Large-scale dumping of municipal garbage and household waste to degrade the site and discourage oversight.
• Piling up of construction debris, broken bricks, concrete chunks, and soil mounds to artificially raise the ground level.
• Progressive soil filling and leveling operations that slowly convert open land into plots appearing ready for future construction.

These tactics are not random — they form a well-known playbook in Bengaluru: first degrade and occupy, then fortify structures, and eventually drag the matter into court where delays (with India's staggering 53+ million pending cases) often allow the status quo to prevail permanently.The affected area belongs to Indian Railways — public land meant for infrastructure, expansion, or public use — not private real estate development. Once buildings rise or compound walls appear, reclamation becomes exponentially harder and more expensive.

• Hon'ble Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
• Divisional Railway Manager, Bengaluru
• Local MPs and Ministers including P. C. Mohan, D. K. Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah, Aravind Limbavali

The official RailwaySeva handle has already acknowledged the complaint and forwarded it to the concerned Divisional Railway Manager for necessary action.Time is critical. Swift physical demarcation, fencing, and eviction of dumped material are needed before boundary walls, temporary sheds, or "existing structures" claims solidify. Bengaluru cannot afford to lose any more public land to encroachment mafias.We call on the Railways Ministry, Karnataka Government, and local administration to act immediately and transparently. Public land belongs to the people — not to land grabbers.Save our railways land. Save Bengaluru's future.

"We realized that without corporators, we don't have any voice to raise micro issues. Corporators know the grassroots but it's very difficult to even hold a meeting with the MLA."

— Mithilesh Kumar, Founder, Civic Opposition of India

Why This Matters:

Mithilesh’s statement hits on the fundamental flaw in the current administration: The Accessibility Gap.

1. The "Micro-Issue" Blindspot: MLAs manage constituencies of hundreds of thousands. They are policy-makers, not pothole-fixers. When a street light is broken, a drain is clogged, or garbage isn't picked up, these "micro-issues" are too small for an MLA's radar but are massive hurdles for the daily life of a citizen.
2. The Missing Link: Corporators are the first line of defense. They live in the ward, know the specific streets, and are practically accessible. Without them, citizens are forced to navigate a bureaucratic maze or chase unreachable MLAs just to get basic services.

Our Stand:

At Civic Opposition of India, we believe that governance without local representation is not just inefficient—it is undemocratic. As Mithilesh stated, the delay in elections isn't just a political scheduling error; it is a systematic silencing of the grassroots voice.

We continue to stand with the Citizens Movement and all Bengaluru residents in demanding: 

Conduct BBMP Elections Now.

#BBMP #BengaluruElections #CivicOpIndia #GrassrootsGovernance #MithileshKumar