The Supreme Court-appointed committee has advised building owners, who had constructed residential and other structures on land notified for formation of the Shivaram Karanth Layout of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), to not fall prey to misinformation.
Head of the committee Justice A.V. Chandrashekar told The Hindu that some unscrupulous elements were spreading incorrect information on the submission of records. The police have been asked to take action. “The Supreme Court has appointed the committee to protect the interest of those who have legally constructed buildings prior to the final notification. But some people are misleading the general public. We do not know why,” he said.
In Byalakere village, people were reportedly going around in autorickshaws affixed with mikes urging owners not to submit records.
Online and offline modes for submission of records pertaining to buildings constructed prior to August 3, 2018, began on Monday. On the first day itself, more than 40 building owners, including those residing abroad, submitted their documents online
Justice Chandrashekar said that during the committee’s visit to notified areas, it was noticed that some villagers are continuing to construct structures despite the Supreme Court clearly mentioning in its order that buildings constructed after final notification are illegal.
“People who are constructing new houses or other structures in the notified areas are doing it at their own risk,” he warned.
Many such new constructions have come up in Doddabettahalli, Ramagondanahalli, Lakshmipura and other villages, which are part of the land notified for the layout.
To create awareness, the committee has started issuing pamphlets and making announcements in 17 villages where land has been notified for formation of the layout.
Fear of losing land
When The Hindu visited the help centre at Government Urdu Primary School in Medi Agrahara, there were only a handful of people. Four additional help centres, including one at the BDA head office, will be commissioned in 10 days.
Some property owners, who visited the help centre, were worried that formation of the layout, which has been delayed for over a decade, and acquisition of ‘developed’ land will cause them more hardship.
Krishnappa P., a land owner from Vaderahalli, said around 200 acres in his village were notified for formation of the layout. “There are around 60 families living in the area. During our interaction, the people manning the help desk told us to submit relevant documents, which we will do. However, we do not want to give up our lands for formation of the layout. Moreover, many families continue to rely on agriculture in our village. They will end up losing farmland,” he said.
Private layouts have also come up over the years. Boards advertising ‘DC converted/BDA NOC received’ layouts can be seen in many villages.
“Those living in high-rise or already formed private layouts may not be affected. But it is likely to hit people who have built houses on small plots of land. We are hoping that justice will be delivered to those who have invested their life savings to build these small houses,” said another property owner.
As per satellite imagery and a BDA study, around 7,500 buildings have come up between 2008 and 2018.
