Lok Ayukta recovers land worth Rs 600 cr

Lok Ayukta recovers land worth Rs 600 cr
On His Last Day, He Inspects Properties Reclaimed From High And Mighty Md Asad
The Times of India

Bangalore: Lok Ayukta Justice N Venkatachala ended his eventful fiveyear innings in a blaze of glory on Saturday, inspecting prime real estate that he managed to reclaim from encroachers. The recovered land is valued upwards of Rs 600 crore.

Hours before he was to sign off, he gathered his team of officers — prodded on by his never-slackenthe-pace spirit — and went around the city to reclaim land usurped by bureaucrats and industrialists, among others. Justice Venkatachala celebrated his land recovery initiative by inaugurating a children’s park in Sankey Tank where he planted a Lagestromia plant, also called the Pride of India.

In Vyalikaval, a Rs 5-crore playground that was encroached upon by a certain D’Souza has been released for public use, thanks to the Lok Ayukta. In Malleswaram, he helped identify and recover nearly five acres of land to the eastern side of Ayyappa temple. The encroacher, Selvakumar, had claimed the BMP land as his own 20 years ago. The land’s market value is Rs 100 crore.

He then inspected the Sankey tank and pointed to the encroachments to the tune of 13.5 acres that has since been cleared. The encroachments along Sankey tank by retired IAS officer B T Parthasarathy and others had cost the government Rs 500 cr. This officer sought to fudge records, claiming he purchased land from the Mysore Maharaja. He sold it to a builder who got trees felled without authority. All this has been put an end to.

Then, the Lok Ayukta inspected land in Shivaji Park area, Sankey Tank, which had been encroached. He returned the land to the BMP where it has set up a children’s park. The land is valued at Rs 5 crore.

Finally, the Lok Ayukta inspected the Banashankari temple on Kanakapura Road where several influential persons, including the Khodays, had allegedly encroached upon the temple land by seven acres. The Khodays returned the land when the Lok Ayukta pointed it to them with “grace’’. The land value is Rs 200 crore plus. The Lok Ayukta said hostels and other facilities for women will be set up here.

At the Sankey Tank area, he had had continued interactions with the BMP for several months and ensured a walkway, well-laid-out garden, tank clean-up and relocating of immersion pond. The walkway is expected to be ready in a month. Justice Venkatachala in print Sociology Professor Writes Lok Ayukta’s Biography Bangalore: Among those accompanying Lok Ayukta on Saturday is a professor who is bringing out Justice Venkatachala’s biography in a month.

The professor of sociology has written a book tracing Venkatachala’s roots from his ancestral village in Kolar district.

Before retiring, Lok Ayukta Justice N Venkatachala said: “These powerful encroachers and others are waiting for my exit. The people need to know. The public properties must be protected at all cost.’’

The Lok Ayukta hopes a bird sanctuary would be set up in the Sankey Tank area from a portion of the 13-plus acres of land recovered from encroachers.