Bengaluru: BDA civic amenity sites converted into housing plots

The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has converted at least 12 civic amenity (CA) sites as well as parks in the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout into residential plots, showing scant respect to its own rules and regulations.

While the higher-ups in the BDA have ordered an internal probe to assess the extent of violation, the allottees will be denied lung space they were promised while buying the sites.

Once a plot is designated for civic amenities, park or playground, its land use cannot be changed by the engineers without issuing a public notification.

A preliminary probe has found at least 35% of the CA sites and parks of the yet-to-be-ready layout have disappeared. The modus operandi was that the middlemen were expected to bring a “disgruntled” allottee or a land-loser who is willing to pay a under-the-table premium to get alternative plots in places that were supposed to be lung spaces.

Other than parks and CA sites, the plots that were earmarked for commercial and vertical development too were sold as residential sites, thereby causing huge revenue loss to the BDA, it is learnt. Some of these residential sites were formed adjoining the 100-feet-wide major arterial road that connects Magadi Road and Mysuru Road.

Speaking to DH, S R Vishwanath, chairman of the BDA, said he has ordered a probe by a three-member committee led by the town planning department. “We have found residential sites being formed in at least 12 parks and CA sites. This is illegal,” he said.

“Some land losers and allottees may have opted for alternative sites in these places by paying bribes. They will be in trouble as parks and CA sites cannot be modified,” he added.

BDA commissioner Kumar Naik, who was reviewing the progress of the layout on Tuesday, expressed shock to find the illegalities.

Such is the level of illegalities, the BDA has not been able to complete the project of forming over 26,500 sites on the 2,252 acres of land for the last eight years. The authority has also failed to acquire around 2,000 acres of additional land that was originally notified for the formation of the city’s biggest layout.

Surya Kiran of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout Open Forum said genuine allottees will be denied breathing space with the conversion of open spaces into residential plots. “First of all, there is only one playground in the entire 2,252-acre layout. If parks and CA sites are taken away, the layout will have no open space,” he said, expressing
concern.