JOIN USThe Bangalore Development Authority, on Tuesday, cancelled the sale deed of 2.35 acre of land executed in favour of BDA employees association on June 4, 2013. The land at Vasanthapura was given for a song at Rs 6.87 per sq ft to the association.
After drawing flak from every quarter, BDA Commissioner T Sham Bhatt cancelled the sale deed on Tuesday.
“Yes, we have cancelled the sale deed. After allegations were made on Monday, I verified the records. They were not satisfactory, so the decision was taken. We are not going to allot the land. Also, the matter is under litigation,” Bhatt told Deccan Herald.
The murky deal was exposed by RTI activist and Jayaprakash Narayana Vichara Vedike President, B M Shivakumar on Monday. He alleged that the payment was made at the time of registration against the claims of the BDA officials that it was done in 2006 at the time of acquisition of land.
Since Chief Minister Siddaramaiah holds the portfolio of Urban Development Department, he too felt the heat of what Shivakumar describes as the maiden scam of the new government. It is learnt that Siddaramaiah took the BDA officials to task for bringing a bad name to his government and directed them to cancel the sale deed. Following his rap, the BDA commissioner annulled the land deal.
Deal murkier in many ways
The land deal was murkier in many ways. The BDA forcibly acquired 2.35 acre of land from its owner at Rs 15.5 lakh but sold it to the BDA Employees' Welfare Association at Rs 8.60 lakh, show documents available with Deccan Herald.
It's owner M Dharmappa said the layout was formed in violation of Town Planning norms. He remarked: “The main road leading to the layout should not be less than 40 ft wide, but this layout formed for BDA employees, has a road, which is merely 20 ft wide.”