Karnataka - Bangalore

Windfall for utility agencies

BANGALORE: The State Government has allotted over 3,000 acres of land recovered from encroachments in and around Bangalore city to eight public utility agencies.

The land, worth several hundred crores of rupees, has been allotted to the agencies in an effort to create a land bank for public utility services.

Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Karnataka Housing Board (KHB), Karnataka Small Scale Industries Development Corporation (KSSIDC), Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd., (KPTCL), Karnataka Slum Clearance Board, Mysore Sales International Ltd., (MSIL) and Karnataka Warehousing Corporation – have together been allotted 3,313.28 acres of land.

While land has been allotted at a subsidised price (50 per cent of the guidance value) for three, the remaining agencies have been asked to pay the market value.

Bangalore Urban Deputy Commissioner M.A. Sadiq told The Hindu that the allotments were made to prevent any future encroachment of recovered lands as well as to create a land bank.

He said: “KHB, KPTCL, KSSIDC, MSIL and Warehousing Corporation, which generate revenue from the land, have been allotted land at the prevailing market price.”

BMTC is the major beneficiary of the allotment with 995.15 acres of land at 50 per cent of the market-determined prices while BBMP will receive 744 acres of land at 50 per cent of the guidance value.

The department sanctioned 429.19 acres to KHB and 428.16 acres to KSSIDC at market-determined prices.

The department allotted 377.14 acres of at similar prices to KPTCL and 284.39 acres to the Slum Clearance Board at 50 per cent of the guidance value.

The other allottees include MSIL that will receive 37.20 acres at market price and the Karnataka Warehousing Corporation 16.25 acres at market value. Incidentally, MSIL had taken part in the recent auction of government land recovered from encroachments.

The Revenue Department, in its order of October 18, made the allotments under the Karnataka Land Approval Rules 1969 after the Deputy Commissioner, Bangalore Urban, proposed that a portion of the recovered lands be allotted to government agencies. The order was issued after getting concurrence of the Finance Department and approval from the H.D. Kumaraswamy Cabinet before the imposition of President’s rule.

Mr. Sadiq said the Government had, in an earlier order, allotted 326 acres of recovered land to the Bangalore Development Authority and the possession had been handed over to the agency.

Encroachments across thousands of acres of government land had been uncovered by the Joint Legislature Committee on Encroachments in Bangalore Urban District headed by MLA A.T. Ramaswamy along with the Revenue Department.

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