B'luru Urban DC says tahsildar 'misled' him on land diversion

Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner, V Shankar, has initiated disciplinary action against Bengaluru South Tahsildar Dr Dayanand and others for misleading his office in connection with the Vijaya Bank Employees’ House Building Co-operative Society.

The action came following news reports that taluk officials showed favour to an impostor who laid claim to a piece of land the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) had acquired 21 years ago and which it subsequently relinquished to the Society.

The DC’s office said in a press release the tahsildar should have verified the documents before moving the files to his office for diversion of the land use in favour of a man who claimed to be K Abbaiahappa, the original owner. The BDA had acquired an acre and 34 guntas of land in Bilekahalli from Abbaiahappa in 1994. He died in 2004, but an imposter approached the Bengaluru South taluk administration in 2014, laying claim to the land which was no longer with Abbaiahappa. Taluk officials forwarded the file to the BDA enquiring about status of the land. The BDA then gave a No Objection Certificate (NOC).

Once the NOC arrived, taluk officials moved the file to the Bengaluru Urban DC, who alone has the right to divert the land use. Since all the necessary procedures were followed, an unsuspecting deputy commissioner approved the diversion of land use.

The Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) is already investigating into the case and is likely to book officials of the BDA and the Bengaluru South taluk administration.