The Hindu : Front Page : BDA layout residents traumatised in the face of demolition threat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 28, 2011
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

BDA layout residents traumatised in the face of demolition threat

Sharath S. Srivatsa

Three decades on, they are termed encroachers though they have proper papers

NASTY SHOCK:Owners of the properties who have been issued notices point out to their houses, some of which are as old as the layout itself.

BANGALORE: If you thought properties developed or approved by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) are the best bet for investment in the Silicon City, some residents of FCI Layout in Deepanjali Nagar may beg to differ.

To their horror, 11 property owners in this layout, developed by the BDA, have been issued notices from the Bangalore South Tahasildar's office accusing them of encroaching upon the tank-bed of Deevitigeramana Halli (Deepanjali Nagar) and ordered to vacate the “encroached land” pronto.

The layout was formed 27 years ago on 4.15 acres, and all the properties identified as encroachments have buildings, some of which are as old as the layout itself.

‘How can it happen?'

“How can the BDA encroach upon the tank-bed since approval from the Urban Development Department is needed to form the layout, besides approvals from other government utilities?” asked a distraught K.V. Srinivasan, president of Food Corporation of India (FCI) Employees' Housing Cooperative Society. “Many have invested their lifetime's earnings on these properties, and some have retired,” he told The Hindu.

The notice to remove “encroachments” from the Deepanjali Nagar lake-bed came after a joint survey was conducted by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Land Survey Department to remove encroachments and fence the tank-bed, said an official in the Bangalore South tahsildar's office.

According to the joint survey sketch provided by the BBMP, 6.15 acres have been encroached upon, following which notices were issued to owners of 24 properties, including 11 properties in FCI Layout.

Survey no. confusion

While the notice says the properties are located on survey number 32 of Deevitigeramana Halli, the gazette notification issued for land acquisition by the Department of Commerce and Industries in 1978 under the Land Acquisition Act says that the 4.15 acres allotted to the housing society falls under survey number 31/2.

“We will seek a fresh survey since the survey number in the documents provided to us by the BDA is different from that mentioned in the notice,” said K. Nagarajaiah, a resident of the area for over two decades.

He added that the BBMP should have involved residents in the joint survey work. Besides the gazette notification, even the other circulars and orders of BDA, including the order of the special land acquisition officer to acquire land, layout as well as layout plan approval, mention that the said land to be in survey number 31/2.

No peace of mind

“Ever since the notices came, we have lost peace of mind over the threat of losing our homes. If demolition notices are issued to BDA properties, how can Bangaloreans feel safe about their properties?” asked Jagadish Babu.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page