The High Court of Karnataka on Saturday ordered issue of notice to the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) on a PIL petition.
Reserved for
park
The petition alleges that land measuring 31,600 sq ft, which was reserved for “park” at SBI Colony in Koramangala, was illegally allotted to the son of a former BDA chairperson for Rs.1.2 lakh. The beneficiary sold the land to a private builder for Rs. 18 crore.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee and Justice B.V. Nagarathna passed the order on the petition filed by Ranjal Raghuram Shenoy and 11 other residents of the colony, which was formed along with Industrial Layout, Koramangala.
The petitioners claimed that the site bearing No. 5A in the layout was reserved for a park in the comprehensive development plan (CDP) of 1984.
It was shown as a “park” in the sale deeds executed for people who purchased adjacent residential sites from the then City Improvement Trust Board in the mid-70s.
However, in 1985, the BDA allotted this site through a lease-cum-sale deed to B. Sreedhar Murthy, who is the son of Basavaiah (deceased), a former chairman of the BDA, the petitioners claimed.
They pointed out that this site was shown as civic amenities and open space in the CDP 1995.
However, without any change of land use or any order, this site was shown as “hi-tech” area in the Revised Master Plan-2015, the petitioners pointed out while contending that the entire process — right from allotment to changing land use purpose — was contrary to provisions of the law.
After prolonged litigation over conditions of the allotment, the petition stated, the BDA on August 1, 2014 registered a sale deed in favour of Mr. Murthy who sold it to M/s Kayaltheeram Builders and Realtors India Pvt Ltd on the same day.
The petitioners have sought a direction to cancel the allotment, sale deeds and retain the land for the original purpose (park).
HC notice on plea against allotment of ‘park’ to the son of a former BDA chairman, who sold
it to a builder for Rs. 18 crore