BDA recovers encroached land worth `100 crore

Bengaluru: The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) officials demolished structures in encroached land in the city in the early hours on Tuesday. In the operation, the BDA roped in JCBs and clear more than 15 commercial buildings and sheds in its land measuring nearly 1.15 acres worth Rs 100 crore.

A landowner had built more than 15 commercial buildings and sheds on the land in Survey No. 75, that was acquired by the BDA in the second phase of the HBR layout. The BDA had acquired 6-acre land in 1989 in the neighbouring survey land for the HBR 2 phase II layout.

Of this, one-and-a-half acres of the land was utilized for the Outer Ring Road and the remaining four-and-a-half acres remained unutilised. The owners of the land moved the City Civil Court in 1989, challenging the BDA acquisition order. But the court ruled in BDA's favour. They appealed against the order in the Karnataka High Court twice and lost on both occasions. Meanwhile, they earned revenue from rent by leasing the commercial buildings in the disputed land. The BDA's warning to the parties to vacate fell on deaf ears.

Against this backdrop, a team of officers, led by BDA president SR Vishwanath and Commissioner Rajesh Gowda, led by police chief Bhaskar and Ravikumar, along with executive engineer G Kumar, used more than 15 JCBs to bulldoze 15 commercial shops and sheds.

The BDA's efforts to reclaim the land four times in the past proved futile as the litigants would either stage protest in front of the buildings or used their influence to stall the authorities' move.

This time, the BDA officials successfully completed the demolition drive with the help of more than 200 policemen.

Responding to this, BDA president SR Vishwanath said that Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai, who is also in charge of the BDA, had instructed them take back the land no matter how influential the owners were. This advice from the CM himself gave the BDA authorities moral strength to accomplish the operation.

There are thousands of crores of BDA sites in various parts of the city, including HBR and HSR layout. In this context, the encroached landowners should voluntarily leave the place for BDA. Otherwise, they will be prosecuted, the officials have warned.