The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Former landlord wants his 6.26 acres back

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Wednesday, Aug 06, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Former landlord wants his 6.26 acres back

Staff Reporter

R. Hanumaiah once owned 297 acres in Jakkasandra

BANGALORE: He is one among the handful of people who had to give up their lands in Jakkasandra when the then City Improvement Trust Board (CITB) sought to acquire their lands for the formation of the Koramangala layout.

He lost even more land when it was acquired for the St. John’s Hospital.

Today, R. Hanumaiah, who once owned 297 acres in Jakkasandra, is without a site in Bangalore.

His only hope is the Karnataka High Court. Twice a victim of land acquisition, Hanumaiah has been battling the CITB and later, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) in the High Court and Supreme Court for decades.

All he wants now is a little more than six acres of land which he says has been wilfully and illegally granted by the BDA to a high-profile housing society.

In his petition, Mr. Hanumaiah said 180 acres of his land was acquired by the CITB in 1959 for the formation of Koramangala. Later, 102 acres were acquired for the St. John’s Hospital. He said he had requested the City Improvement Trust Board to reconvey 6.26 acres to him. Some of his ancestors had been buried in the land and there was an Ashwatha Katte in on site.

Promise

The CITB promised to favourably consider his request provided he withdrew all cases and suits he had filed against the acquisition of the lands in the lower courts.

Mr. Hanumaiah said he withdrew the suits and cases and the CITB passed a resolution agreeing to grant him 6.26 acres. However, before this resolution could be implemented, the CITB was wound up and in its place the BDA came into being.

BDA refusal

Mr. Hanumaiah said though he had brought the contents of the CITB resolution to the notice of the BDA, the authority had not cared to implement it. Instead, it had “clandestinely” allotted 6.26 acres to a housing society. He urged the court to intervene and direct the BDA to implement the CITB resolution. Justice Huluvadi G. Ramesh adjourned further hearing of the case.

Stayed

Justice N. Kumar stayed an order of the State Information Commission levying a fine of Rs. 25,000 on the Nagamangala Tahsildar.

In his petition, the Tahsildar, Loknath, said he had promised to give some information sought for under the RTI Act after the Assembly elections.

Mr. Loknath said he had also given an endorsement that he would furnish the information after the revision of electoral rolls.

However, the complainant had moved the State Commission, saying that he did not disclose the full information.

Fine

The State Commission had fined Mr. Loknath Rs. 25,000. He had challenged this before the High Court.

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