Bangalore: Garuda Mall has finally received the disputed piece of land.

The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) Council, at its last meeting on Tuesday, approved the recommendation of the BMP Standing Committee on Town Planning and Development that excess land of 3,456 sq ft be given to Maverick Holdings and Investments, developers of Garuda Mall.

The manner in which the resolution was passed caused a furore with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) members trooping to the well of the House demanding clarification from BMP Commissioner K. Jairaj.

Not included

The subject of Garuda Mall did not figure in the resolution copies handed out in the Council on Tuesday and for a while the corporators did not realise that the Council had granted the land to Maverick Holdings and Investments. But when the Opposition members learnt about it, there was acrimony in the House, which ended with the Commissioner's clarification.

Mr. Jairaj said that at the start of the joint venture with the BMP, developers of Garuda Mall had been sanctioned 1,56,000 sq ft of land. An extra 3,456 sq.ft of land had been acquired by mistake. The Project Management Group of the BMP decided that the land could be put to no other use and sanctioned the excess land to the developers. Permission from the BMP Council remained to be taken and that was the reason the subject was before the Council. Mr. Jairaj said that Garuda Mall runs commercial enterprises on space originally allotted for parking for 89 cars.

The developers had not taken any action to remove these encroachments despite persistent reminders from the BMP, he said.

Once they correct these deviations, the excess land of 3,456 sq km could be granted to them, he said.

Mayor Mumtaz Begaum said she had approved the resolution to grant the excess land using her discretionary powers.

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