A prime piece of land worth several crores at Sri Radha Krishna Layout in Padmanabhanagar here, which was to have been converted into a park with manicured lawns, is a picture of neglect today with some Bharatiya Janata Party leaders allegedly “playing spoilsport”.
An uphill task
For residents striving to get lung space in this land measuring about 30 guntas, it has been an uphill task so far. While their efforts to convince the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to allocate the land for the park yielded positive results, BJP leader and the former BDA Chairman, L.R. Shivarame Gowda, and the ruling party's Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) councillor D. Venkatesh Murthy, have both approached court claiming ownership.
Disappointment
It has been a big disappointment for residents as a park is yet to take shape on the land, though there are all the necessary approvals and documents.
“Owing to persistent demand from Abhyudaya, a federation of resident welfare associations in Padmanabhanagar, the BDA agreed to convert the land from civic amenities site into a park,” president of Radhakrishna Layout Welfare Association B.V. Ramakrishna, told The Hindu .
The BDA board approved the change in its meeting on March 3, 2007, and handed over the property to BBMP in May 2007, he pointed out. Interestingly, Transport Minister and BJP leader R. Ashok performed bhoomi puja on the land on June 27, 2008.
Cases
However, to their dismay, claims over the land started soon. If Mr. Shivarame Gowda claimed ownership of this land through a case in the city civil court, Mr. Murthy approached the court in 2008 seeking to establish his ownership over the land. Besides, another individual, Munichandra, also staked claim to the property.
Due to these cases, work on developing the park had to be stopped, Mr. Ramakrishna added.
BDA letter
All this, Mr. Ramakrishna said, had occurred despite a BDA letter to the BBMP clarifying that the land had been transferred from R.K. House Building Cooperative Society to the BDA through a relinquishment deed.
And this land had been handed over to the BBMP for converting it into a park, he added.
