DETERMINED: Members of various organisations being prevented from entering the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Bangalore Urban district, in Bangalore on Friday. They were protesting against the auctioning of government lands. — Photo: K. M urali Kumar

BANGALORE: The proposed auction of 90 acres of government land in Bangalore Urban district on Friday was postponed following an interim stay granted by the High Court even as several organisations staged a protest against the auction.

Lands in seven survey numbers in Bangalore North and Anekal taluks were to be auctioned on Friday by Prevention of Unauthorised Construction Cell. A petition was filed in the High Court seeking cancellation of auction of 10.2 acres in Boilahalli, Bangalore North Additional Taluk, and the court stayed the entire auction proceedings scheduled for Friday, Deputy Commissioner (Bangalore Urban district) M.A. Sadiq said.

Despite criticism of the State Government's decision to auction government lands, nearly 800 acres have been auctioned already.

Nearly 350 acres that have been recovered from encroachments will come under the hammer over the next few days.

Meanwhile, a number of organisations, including Communist Party of India (Marxist) Communist Party of India, Samajwadi Party and Samata Sainik Dal, staged a demonstration in front of the Bangalore Urban Deputy Commissioner's office urging cancellation of land auctions immediately.

CPI (M) district secretary K. Prakash said the Government was auctioning lands without any guidelines. Claiming that there was a nexus among officials, politicians and bidders, he said, "Land worth Rs. 2 crore has been auctioned for somewhere between Rs. 30 lakh and Rs. 35 lakh."

Stating that there was a "class bias" in the whole process of recovery and auction of encroached lands, Mr. Prakash claimed that most lands being recovered were from poor people or small peasants. "The ones who have encroached on 10 to 15 acres of land are all being let off," he alleged.

Dismissing the allegation that land was being sold at less than the guidance value set by the State Government, Mr. Sadiq said it was "an absolute lie".

He said that only bids for lands that had fetched over 150 per cent of the guidance value would be accepted.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Sadiq said that about 200 acres would be put for re-auction as they had fetched lower prices.

He also said that 796 acres had been auctioned since September 2005.

Mr. Sadiq also said that not all lands recovered from encroachments would be put up for auction.

"We have recovered about 7,500 acres of land. Only about 25 per cent will be auctioned," he said.

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