'Landless' slum board allots sites to beneficiaries

The Karnataka Slum Development Board (KSDB) has distributed sites to all the 'slum dwellers' at Devarabeesanahalli in the City even before getting the physical possession of the land from the deputy commissioner, Bangalore (Urban).

Former MLA of the area Ramachandra Reddy had sought information from the KSDB about illegal constructions on 38 acres and 27 guntas of land at survey number 15 and 16 in Devarabeesanahalli, which was supposed to be handed over to it for providing shelter to the urban poor.

On November 3, 2012, he got information that the KR Puram tahsildar had transferred the land to the KSDB on August 27, 2012.

However, for want of formalities, the land could not be physically transferred to the KSDB and it remained in the custody of the deputy commissioner and the BBMP. The Board also informed him that all the illegal constructions have been stopped on the said land.

He was also told that an FIR would be lodged at the HAL police station.

However, even before the physical transfer of land, the KSDB had issued ‘hakku patra’ (title deed) to 800-odd beneficiaries.

All that they got was the photocopies of the hakku patra with numerous anomalies. One such ‘hakku patra’ regarding a site shows that it was given to a beneficiary on August 30, 2012, merely three days after the tahsildar consented to transfer the land.
When contacted, the KR Puram Tahsildar, C L Shivakumar, said the usage of the land is left to the KSDB, to whom the land has been given.

Rules followed

The KSDB commissioner B F Patil said the procedure has been followed while allotting the land to the beneficiaries. Regarding, distribution of land to the beneficiaries even before its physical transfer to the KSDB, Patil said he would look into it.

Sources who provided the documents to Deccan Herald claimed that many 'beneficiaries' already have properties in Bangalore and are well off financially. Some even have five to eight sites on the said land. They also claimed that the cost of property at the prevailing market rate was about Rs 600 crore and some people have illegally ‘grabbed’ it.