Residents take out rally against BDA

Residents take out rally against BDA
Deccan Herald

The struggle to safeguard the sole playground at Jeevan Bima Nagar continues, with close to 500 residents taking to the streets in protest against the Bangalore Development Authority, which is building a community centre in the playground.

The struggle to safeguard the sole playground at Jeevan Bima Nagar continues, with close to 500 residents taking to the streets in protest against the Bangalore Development Authority, which is building a community centre in the playground.

Plot No 1 and No 2 at the area have been used as a playground by the children of the colony for the last 15 years, and has been earmarked as an ‘existing sport/ playground’ in the latest proposed Comprehensive Development Programme (CDP), while portions of this land has now been leased out to private parties to build community centres and socio-cultural organisations, the residents accuse.

The residents, irked by the construction activities which have begun in the area, and by the lack of response by the present BDA commissioner, took out a rally in the colony, which was later joined in by MP Sangliana. Mr Sangliana has assured the residents that he would help them resolve this matter and has also promised to meet the stakeholders of the BDA, in this regard, on January 16.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Nitin Deshmukh, resident of the area said that J B Nagar would become completely congested if the community centre came up, as there would be no lung space left in the area. The playgrounds had been divided into five plots, each leased out to the following; Mahaveera Sangha, Humble Charitable Trust, Dakshina Mathu Kannada Gowda Samaja, Orissa Cultural Association and Postal and Telegraph Department. Around 400 children were residing in the area and said that they would fight till the playground is rescued from the “clutches of the BDA.”

Mr Ravidran, another resident says that no government order was issued stating that land conversion had taken place - that is to a Civic Amenities (CA) site. “The BDA has been changing its stand continuously. If they are staking claim that this is a CA site, then the same BDA had displayed the latest proposed CDP in 2005, where these two plots were showcased as playgrounds,” he added.

However, BDA Secretary Rajashekhar said that he was not aware of any of the five parties, and that the CA plot had been leased out to the ISRO, which was planning to build a hospital.