Karnataka - Bangalore

Allotment of sites against rules to be cancelled

Bangalore: The State Government has, in a spontaneous reply to what could be described as a scam in the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), agreed to cancel allotment of all the alternative residential sites allotted by the authority in violation of rules and regulations.

Equipped with documents of several such transactions, some members of the Opposition in the Legislative Council exhibited how the BDA had made over commercial sites in prime localities in exchange for residential sites allotted in faraway places in relatively new layouts developed by the authority.

The alternative site scandal, which has been rocking the Bangalore Development Authority for the last few months, on Monday figured in the Upper House with several senior Opposition members, including M.P. Nadagouda and B.A. Marthibbe Gowda, exhibiting documents on the grant of alternative sites and the quick sale of such sites. It was also mentioned that nearly 800 such alternative sites had been provided by the BDA in a limited period of time and most of such sites had been sold at very fancy prices. Sites which were made over to the allottees for a low price of Rs. 250 a square foot were sold for sums ranging between Rs 4,000 and Rs 13,000 a square foot.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa provided details on the manner in which the alternative sites had been allotted and the investigations by the authorities so far. The Chief Minister’s reply to the discussion was provided by Minister for Home V.S. Acharya.

The persistent demand by the Opposition to constitute a committee of members of the Legislative Council to investigate the ramifications of the scandal and also suggest ways and means of preventing such a scam in the future was, however, turned down by the Government. It was stated that the investigations would be completed in three months and the details provided to the members of the Opposition.

Dr. Acharya said the Superintendent of Police of a Special Task Force functioning in the BDA was investigating the whole gamut of such allotments, and wherever malpractices were detected, the Government would cancel all such allotments. The alternative site scandal surfaced after a member of the public, B.M. Shivakumar, sought details of such allotments between January 1, 2006 and January 1, 2008 under the Right to Information Act. He had thereafter written to the Government seeking stern action against those involved in the racket.

He said the investigation by the BDA police had so far covered 171 such allotments and of them six were found to be in violation of the rules. Further, five corner sites had also been made to certain applicants seeking a change of site in violation of the rules. The officials concerned had divided the corner sites and thereafter allotted them as intermediate sites. Under the BDA rules, all corner sites have to be sold through public auction and this has been the rule for several decades although some changes have been made from time to time .

In his reply, Mr Yeddyurappa said the alternative site committee at the BDA is headed by the Commissioner of the BDA and includes five other members.

The Opposition members said that a large section of the BDA officials of various ranks were involved in the scandal.

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