Govt not to sell land near airport

Govt not to sell land near airport
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: For once, the state government is not in selling mode!
It has decided against selling 408 acres of excess land in the Bangalore International Airport Area Planning Authority (BIAAPA) area. The move to save ownership over the prime land has come as a respite for Bangalore city, which is witnessing a shrinkage of public spaces.
Chief minister H D Kumaraswamy said on Tuesday: “We will not auction the land, instead will give it on lease. The decision has been taken as there is not much difference between auction and leasing it out in terms of revenue earnings now. In fact, by not auctioning the land, the final ownership would remain with the government.’’
Ironically, the decision to auction the 408 acres was taken in a previous cabinet meeting chaired by Kumaraswamy. He had said then that the money obtained from the auction would be utilised to fund the development schemes announced by the government. Deputy chief minister B S Yediyurappa had also cheered him, hoping for an easy flow of funds to implement his budget. But Kumaraswamy’s volte-face on Tuesday raised many eyebrows in political circles.
The decision to give the land on lease was taken in the absence of Yediyurappa and infrastructure minister B Sriramulu.