KIADB notified land illegally: Deve Gowda

The Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has allotted 6.07 acres of land belonging to Sri Revannasiddeshwara (SRS) Education Institute at Kittaganahalli in Anekal taluk, to Narayana Hrudyalaya illegally, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda alleged on Wednesday.

However, the KIADB has rejected the allegations as baseless.

The JD(S) leader, who paid a visit to the disputed land on Hosur Road on Wednesday, told reporters accompanying him that “influential people” were behind the decision that had adversely impacted the poor students studying in the school. He said the land be denotified immediately and that criminal proceedings be initiated against KIADB officials.

Gowda said  land owner Thimmananjaiah and his family had set up a school and college along with a nursery in 2004, after acquiring permits from the State government.

“The education institute has been set up in the ancestral property belonging to Thimmananjaiah. However, the State government has taken away this land illegally and handed it over to a rich institution like Narayana Hrudayalaya. KIADB officials have colluded with the influential people who are behind this act,” he said.

Disputed land

Gowda also alleged that KIADB had denotified 9.03 acres of land in survey number 134, adjoining the disputed land, (survey number 135/2) belonging to SRS Institute. “Who was responsible for denotifying this land?” he said.

Thimmananjaiah and his wife Vasantha Kumari said repeated requests made to Narayana Hrudayalaya chairman Devi Shetty to return their land had gone in vain.

According to KIADB officials, Narayana Hrudayalaya in 2001 submitted an application seeking allotment of 20 acres of land adjacent to the existing hospital. On May 22, 2001, KIADB in its 235th board meeting decided to grant the land and issued a preliminary notification on December 3, 2001 for 20.26 acres.

Officials said that when revenue and KIADB officials conducted a joint survey of the said land on March 24, 2003, the departments noted that there were only trees in the land and “no buildings”.

Final notification for the same was issued in two phases. While the first notification was issued on May 28, 2005 allotting 10.25 acres, the second notification was issued on August 26, 2010 allotting 8.9 acres including in survey numbers 1/1 (1.26 acres); 1/ 2 (1.16 acres); and 135/2 (2.27 acres) belonging to land owner of SRS Institute.

Compensation

The KIADB handed over possession of the land to Narayana Hrudayalaya on August 28, 20, paying the land owner compensation of Rs 23 lakh an acre.

The land owner moved the court twice in 2010 challenging KIADB’s decision, and both times, the courts dismissed the case.