BSY 'helped' AoL encroach govt land

According to land records available at the Mysore taluk office, the Art of Living (AoL) run by Sri Sri Ravishankar has built a building on five acres of encroached government land on the foot of Chamundi Hills, reportedly with the patronage of the scam-tainted former chief minister.

 The land on survey number 41 at Kasaba hobli in Alanahalli belongs to the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MU­DA).

The encroached land is part of the 100 acres  acquired at Alanahalli during 1985-86, 1992 and 1997 by MUDA for the formation of layouts.  It was the intervention of Yeddyurappa that has prevented the district administration from initiating action against the organisation. On December 20, last year, the then Deputy Commissioner Harsh Gupta wrote to MUDA directing it to reclaim the government land from AoL and asked it to respond in seven days.

Notice to AoL
Following this, MUDA wrote to the tahsildar instructing him to serve a notice to AoL. The tahsildar’s office sent a notice to AoL on January 4, this year, stating that the building constructed at Alanahalli was illegal and slapped a fine of Rs 1,000 on the organisation as per the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964.

Apart from penalty, AoL was given two days time to demolish the building, failing which the department would clear the encroachment and slap an additional fine of Rs 25 per day.

But the same day, a letter from the chief minister’s office undersigned by Principal Secretary I S N Prasad prevented the deputy commissioner and the taluk administration from carrying out its duties.

The letter instructed the district and taluk administration against demolishing the AoL building on survey no 41/F block (P6) in Alanahalli, saying “the chief minister will take a decision on it.” However, Yeddyurappa did not bother to take any decision on the issue when he was the chief minister and AoL continued construction activities on the land.

M Lakshman, convener of Mysore City Concerned Citizens’ Forum, said besides encroaching upon government land, the organisation has constructed a wall across a canal preventing water that flows down the Chamundi Hills from reaching Alanahalli tank.

Mysore division co-ordinator Mahesh said the organisation has requested the district administration to transfer the rights of the land to organisation.