JOIN USResidents of Defence Colony, Indiranagar, fear that land sharks are out to grab their playground.
Defence Colony Park 3, situated between Fourth Main and Sixth Main in Indiranagar, off 100 Feet Road, is a popular playground for youngsters in the area. Schools in the neighbourhood use the field for sports meets as well. However, since November 2016, unknown persons have fenced off a portion of the playground claiming that the land belongs to them.
“It is unclear who is staking claim on the land. Since November, several boards have come up with different names,” said Colonel Raj Mannar, president of the Defence Colony Cooperative Housing Society Ltd (DCCHSL). “Some goons are staying in a shed on the land and preventing people from entering the property,” Col Mannar added.
Members of Defence Colony Residents’ Association (DECORA) and DCCHSL wrote to the local police, BBMP assistant executive engineer of their ward and to the principal secretary to the department of co-operation regarding the encroachment. However, there has been no response till now. The land is shown as a public ground in the revised BDA master plan 2015.
Land verification
“We need to verify the land records with the BBMP revenue department and compare it with BDA records. If it is confirmed that the property belongs to BBMP, we will clear the land immediately. This will not be an issue as no construction has been put up near the fence,” said Krishna, Assistant Executive Engineer of the ward. He added that the matter had been held up due to internal transfers and it would be sorted within 10 days.
At present, a board erected at the ground says that DSS National Forum is the owner of the land. “The land is claimed by a man named Raja. He says that the property belongs to him and a dispute between him and a third party is pending before a court. However, he dodges my demand to produce documents pertaining to the case,” the assistant executive engineer said.