Playground

Playground
comes under mafia threat
VIJAY TIMES NEWS BANGALORE : Even as reports of the governments move to capture playgrounds to convert them into making parking lots are still fresh in public memory, the real estate mafia is all geared up to grab space out of 4286.9 sq kms public playground next to Basavanagudi road in Kempegowda Nagar (ward number 49).

Members of Udayabhanu Kala Sangha, which sounded the alarm about such threatening moves by the land mafia, said that fake records in the name of a man named GVR were being used to grab the land here. "Government should not allow this public space to fall into the hands of interested groups," said a member.

The history of this ground dates back to 1970s when the then Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) took over this piece of land under the Land Acquisition Act. In 1980, compensation was given to land owners and the High Court in 1991 further gave a judgment favouring the BMP, while answering a petition from the land owners. Sources in BBMP said that all problems with the land have been solved and it belongs to Palike.

Sangha members said that details of the happenings have been submitted to Palike Commissioner K Jairaj, local MLA Chandrashekar and even to Lok Ayukta.