About 14 years ago, a housing society announced that it was forming a layout between Magadi Road and Mysore Road and would distribute about 1,000 sites. The urge to own a home in Bangalore made Ashok Kumar, an employee of a private firm, to apply for a 30' X 40' site.

The sale deed was executed after two years, once Mr. Kumar had made all the payments to the housing society. Mr. Kumar invested all his savings and also borrowed money from his relatives to buy the site that cost him Rs. 75,000.

From time to time, he visited the spot to ensure that his property was not encroached upon. About two years ago, he decided to build a house on the site and began his endeavour in right earnest.

He approached an architect and ensured that the building plan was designed to his tastes and needs. He started arranging money for the initial works and also approached a bank for a loan.

Rude shock

About six months ago, when he was conducting the groundbreaking ceremony on an auspicious day, some people approached him and told him not to go ahead with the construction. They identified themselves as the associates of a local politician and said that the land was under litigation.

Though taken by surprise, Mr. Kumar convinced them and assured them that he would contact them soon. He tried to contact the housing society office to get the matter clarified. To his horror, he found out that the society by this time was non-existent and the directors were untraceable.

A baffled Mr. Kumar then met a few persons who had constructed houses in the area. Their experience was no different. They said that the "chelas" of a politician had approached them and demanded money to allow the construction.

The "chelas" had told them that the Bangalore Development Authority was planning to acquire the land and they needed money to bear the legal charges.

A worried Mr. Kumar contacted one of the persons who had met him on the day of the groundbreaking ceremony. The person told Mr. Kumar that he has collected Rs. 1 lakh each from the site owners to take up legal course if the BDA acquires the land.

He said that the BDA has already acquired the surrounding land. He also assured Mr. Kumar that he would not face any problems in the future if he makes the payment. Mr. Kumar negotiated and convinced the person to accept Rs. 60,000 in two instalments.

Now, Mr. Kumar has paid Rs. 30,000 against the wishes of his wife and father, who unable to bear the trauma advised him to forget about the property.

The chelas have given the green signal and Mr. Kumar is confident that his dream of owning a home in Bangalore would soon come true.

Inviting trouble

However, an advocate opines that it is wrong to approach anti-social elements to settle property matters. A person would be inviting more trouble rather than coming out of it, he says. "Firstly, if a person is buying a site from a housing society, he should do some ground work. He should look into many aspects such as how many layouts it has developed, how many projects it has completed.

"A person must talk to the members to know their satisfaction level. Only then should he nvest in the property. Many housing societies professionally address the grievances of their members. However, some push their members to hardships. People must invest wisely and not invite troubles."

A person who approaches anti-social elements to settle property matters becomes "a hen who lays golden eggs" to them, the advocate says. "Whenever they are in need of money, these unscrupulous elements would approach the person. They know for sure that the person will not say no to them."

If the person faces any serious problems in the future, these unscrupulous elements will not hesitate to disassociate themselves from the person and vanish from the scene, he warns.

A.B. SUDHINDRA

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