Southern States
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Karnataka-Bangalore
BMP's slowness in recovering prime land in City irks people
By Afshan Yasmeen
BANGALORE, DEC. 6. A prime land of the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) in Mavalli has been encroached upon and despite a directive from the Lokayukta two months ago to recover the land, the BMP is yet to act.
Measuring over 17,000 sq. ft., the property is occupied by two private businesses and is being used as a parking lot for private buses.
Located between R.V.Road and Susheela Road in Mavalli, the property is worth crores of rupees. It had been given to the then Municipal Council (now BMP) by the Maharaja of Mysore in 1931. However, after 1977 the property was occupied by different private parties.
Concerned over the encroachment of the property, residents of the area are working to make the BMP recover the land. ``In the past 21 years, at least four private parties have fabricated documents and got khatas registered in their names. Though the Central Enforcement Cell (CED) of the BMP has reported that the khata had been wrongly issued, the BMP is yet to take back the property,'' Mr. S.A.Manjunath and Mr. Lakshmikantha Reddy, social workers, said.
After running from pillar to post to make the BMP recover the land, the residents complained to the Lokayukta, Mr. Justice N. Venkatachala, four months ago.
After verification of the documents it was proved that the certificates possessed by the ``claimants'' to the land were fake. Subsequently, the Lokayukta wrote to the BMP Commissioner, Mr. Ashok M.Dalwai, in September to investigate the matter and take possession of the land at the earliest.
``The commissioner replied that the file was being processed and proper action would be initiated after the mayoral polls. The property belongs to a trust and the BMP is only the trustee. The land has to be recovered from the private persons occupying it,'' Mr. Justice Venkatachala told The Hindu.
Mr. Dalwai said he had already written to the Joint Director of Land Records to investigate the matter and prepare a report within two days. ``If the records are found to be fabricated, we will cancel them and stop further encroachment,'' he added.
Successive corporators representing Mavalli for the past several years have done nothing to recover the property from land sharks, the residents complained.
``We want either a school, a college or a hospital to come up on the land. If the BMP does not act now, the City will soon lose its open spaces,'' they added.
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