Land sharks make mincemeat of you and me

Land sharks make mincemeat of you and me
Vijay Times

From the cliched Pensioners’ paradise, Bangalore rose rapidly to be hailed as the IT capital of the world only to inexorably hurtle these days towards becoming landgrabbers’ dreamland.

The buzzword now is ‘Ah! This property! It belongs to ....er...you know...’ at one end and a threat couched in friendly advise ‘sir/madam we are interested in your land, it’s in your interest to sell it to us, sooner the better’ at the other.

And the game that is played out as the government winks the other way is to drop names of the rich, famous and powerful, particularly former and present ministers, MLAs & MPs, to protect the ‘goldmines’ in Bangalore - the encroached lands.

At the other extreme is extreme action itself - threat of bodily harm — if one doesn’t sell/vacate his/her land at the bidding of the mafia whose sway over Bangalore land is increasing by the day.

True or not, several prime properties in the city are linked to one or the other politician, though the registration papers show a different name. The list of such properties is growing, despite denials and challenges by the men whose names make the rounds across not just Bangalore but the entire State.

The demand for land is so high and the greed to grab it so intense that having a piece has become a curse for an honest, tax-paying, law-abiding citizen. You never know which powerful politician is patronising the man who comes calling with a ‘sell the land, please’ advise. There is no guarantee of market price for the land if one heeds the warning but only what the mafia deems fit.

The formation of Greater Bangalore has only opened the doors further for land sharks to play big time in real estate business. The bolder the sharks become, the meeker the government gets leaving the IT capital’s denizens at the mercy of law-breakers.

The findings of the Joint House Committee on the extent of encroached land in Bangalore are a stinging indictment of the parties and men who have ruled the State in the last few decades. Not just hundreds but 13,000 acres of land valued at over Rs 23,000 cr at the current market price have been encroached in and around Bangalore, according to the Committee headed by A T Ramaswamy.

Though names of political bigwigs, cutting across parties, are making their rounds in these land deals, the committee’s initial survey has not revealed any names. However, sources in the Committee say that names of those involved in the encroachment along with the survey numbers would be submitted along with the final report.

Benami transactions

The Committee, set up to identify encroachment of government land in and around Bangalore city, has an uphill task in identifying the real owners as most of the documents are in fake names (Benami).

A senior member of the JHC told VVi ijja ay y TTi immees sthat though the panel is aware of the involvement of some former and present ministers in land grabbing activities, it has become difficult to establish their involvement as the names in the record are “benami”.

Committee suggestions

CoA special court and a permanent prosecution authority for speedy disposal of land grab cases.

Applying the Goonda Act against land grabbers.

Action against officers and other government employees who join hands with land grabbers.

If need be, a bill with a provision of imprisonment of at least three years and fine for officials who help fabricate records.