Metro: High Court stays land acquisition on Mysore Road

Metro: High Court stays land acquisition on Mysore Road

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court, in an interim order, stayed the acquisition of land on Mysore Road by the Karnataka State Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) for the Bangalore Metro project.

Justice Ashok B. Hinchigeri passed the order on petitions by V. Satyanarayana Setty, N. Vinay Gupta, K. Shah, Premchand, Parasmal and G.D. Patel, all residents of Mysore Road.

The residents had challenged the acquisition of their land by the KIADB for the Bangalore Metro project. Making it clear that they were not against the Metro project, they said the acquisition of their land was irrational and illogical and that it would not serve any public interest.

They said their land was sought when the Bangalore Metro initially planned a Metro station (terminal) there.

They said the KIADB on January 23, 2006, issued a preliminary notification seeking to acquire their land. It issued the final notification on October 24, 2007.

Subsequently, Bangalore Metro decided to extend the metro line on Mysore Road up to Nayandanahalli, which is 2 km from their land. The petitioners said there was no need for the authorities to acquire their land when the project line had been extended.

They said they had not only filed objections to the acquisition notification, but also suggested the authorities to realign the terminal on the median of the road instead of putting it up on their land. Their suggestion to realign the metro line and their objections to the acquisition were rejected.

They urged the court to stay the final notification and also call for records. They also urged the court to pass an interim order as they feared that they might be dispossessed of their land.

Mr. Justice Hinchigeri, in his interim order, stayed dispossession of the petitioners’ land and adjourned further hearing on the case.

In a related matter, Mr. Justice Hinchigeri adjourned further hearing on the acquisition of Plaza Cinema building on M.G. Road by Bangalore Metro.

Shravani properties, which had purchased the property, had questioned the acquisition. It said that the acquisition proceedings smacked of arbitrariness. It said the alignment of the metro line on M.G. Road had been changed to “save” some property owners.

It urged the court to stay the final notification.

Mr. Justice Hinchigeri adjourned further hearing on the case.