Huge encroachment busted

Huge encroachment busted
BMP BDA Recover Rs 180 Cr Worth Of Land In Girinagar After 11-Hr Operation
The Times of India

Bangalore: Roaring earthmovers, hundreds of workers and platoons of policemen woke up Hoskerehalli-Girinagar residents on Saturday morning to a massive swoop by Bangalore Development Authority and Bangalore Mahanagara Palike on illegal constructions by Vishwabharati House Building Co-operative Society in the area.
With 300 workers of BDA and BMP task force, engineering gangmen, five platoons of KSRP and CRP comprising 200 policemen including a water jet vehicle and 25 JCBs in tow, the civic authorities razed illegal constructions on BDA’s land spread over 37 acres, in an operation watched by thousands of residents of the area.
The cost of the recovered property has been estimated at Rs 180 crore. The 11-hour operation, perhaps the biggest demolitions so far in the city, sent out warning signals to land-grabbers. More than 300 concrete block houses, sheds and compounds put up on 37 acres were razed. The illegal structures had been put up by the site allottees of Vishwabharati housing society belonging to B Krishna Bhat over the past two months.
BDA commissioner M K Shankarlinge Gowda said, “This is BDA’s message to illegal occupants that the authorities do not tolerate such encroachments.”
Constructions had come up overnight on this land, with concrete block compounds and houses. The society has been fighting a battle with the BDA over this prime land. TOI had reported the encroachment scam on Sept 29: “Prime land scam right under BDA’s nose!”
Last week, the authorities had planned a similar operation but the land mafia which got wind of it, created chaos by staging a protest, stoning the vehicles and burning tyres prompting the authorities to postpone the drive.
The BDA had asked the “allottees” to furnish documents which had permitted them to put up buildings. Except a few, none came up with the court orders, although every structure had a fake writ petition number trying to misguide people that the property was legal.
The authorities have fenced the area and boards have been put up stating that property belongs to BDA. The land will be eventually developed into a layout. The vast expanse of land resembled a war zone with tonnes of debris. Housing rigmarole
Bangalore: Two decades ago, the BDA acquired 79 acres and 11 guntas of land from farmers at Hoskerehalli village to form a layout. Five years after land acquisition proceedings were completed and compensation paid, the Vishwabharati House Building Co-operative Society appeared on the scene claiming ownership of the property.
The society got the bulk allotment of land approved by the BDA for forming the Girinagar IV Phase layout and even went on record saying it had to heavily bribe officials to get the favour. This allotment was done against the BDA rules during the tenure of the then chairman L R Shivarame Gowda, sources said. The society formed 740 sites and completed the allotments.
However, after Jayakar Jerome assumed charge as BDA commissioner in 1999, he noticed the discrepancy and cancelled the bulk allotment. The government also cleared the air on the issue and clarified that the land belongs to BDA.
The society moved court and since then, the matter was wrapped under litigations. Illegal constructions sprung up on the land, but was demolished by Jerome and subsequently his successor, M N Vidyashankar.
But two months ago, 37 persons who had paid the society for site allotment (when bulk allotment was okayed), sought the court’s intervention to allow them to go ahead with construction. The court gave eight weeks time for the construction and asked the authorities not to interfere for the said period.
However, during that period, over 300 constructions came up and the stretch was covered with concrete block compounds.
Surprisingly, the society again had no qualms in admitting that it paid hefty bribe to officials for an out-of-court settlement. A resolution passed in 2001 at the society’s annual general body meeting said Rs 4.5 crorebribe was paid at the rate of Rs 20 per sqft.