25 acres of govt land reclaimed by razing down shops, shanties

Once a hillock, the land at Pantharapalya was encroached upon in 1959

A portion of Pantharapalya near Avalahalli on the Outer Ring Road in west Bengaluru looked ravaged as if has been hit by a powerful tremor as the Bengaluru Urban district authorities on Saturday carried out an extensive anti-encroachment drive to reclaim 25 acres of government land after a legal battle of 57 years.

Officials with a contingent of about 300 policemen, 100 gangmen and 20 earthmovers swooped down at Pantharapalya in the morning and bulldozed hundreds of structures including shops, garages, welding shops, a refill gas cylinder distribution agency of Indane, warehouses and a large number of shanties.

The open space was used for parking hundreds of private vehicles.
There was a strong resistance by shopkeepers and slum dwellers. But they could not muster courage to continue their protest due to the heavy police presence.

As the drive extended to the shanties, the slum dwellers stood in front of the earthmovers, preventing the authorities to proceed further. The residents said they have been living there for many years and once their houses are razed, they have to spend the night in the open sky.

After reclaiming the land, the authorities put up boards at many places stating that it belongs to the Revenue Department.

Hillock plundered

The said land in survey number 47 of Pantharapalya used to be a lush green hillock just like the one adjacent to it, which is inhabited by wild creatures. The land grabbers completely ruined the hillock and converted it into plains. Locals say that there were peacocks, a variety of snakes and mongoose in good number on the hillock.

Rajanna, a resident of Pantharapalya, said: “My father would tell us how scary it used to be to walk on the village road in the night during his childhood due to the forest. Right in front of our eyes we saw the hillock plundered.”

Assistant Commissioner, Bengaluru South sub-division, L C Nagaraj, said the controversy started in January 1959. Soon after the Inam (gift) Land Abolition Act came into force, the land came under the government control as it was a hillock. However, some people laid claim to the land saying that it was gifted to them. There were no records to prove that, he said.

The case was fought in the land tribunal, High Court and Supreme Court. The matter was later referred to the land tribunal again and an order was passed in favour of the state government four days ago.