Residents accuse builder of encroaching on CA site

Land worth Rs 5 cr being used for apartment complex

People residing in BEL Layout, Vidyaranyapura, have alleged that a builder has encroached upon a vacant civic amenity (CA) site, worth about Rs five crore and developed by the BEL Employees’ House Building Cooperative Society (BEL-HSBC). 

A site measuring 11,332 sq ft, at 8th Main, 4th Block in BEL Layout, set aside by the BEL-HBCS for civic amenities, was “encroached upon” by Vasu, a builder, who had even begun construction on it, residents alleged. 

“The BEL-HBCS had developed the layout, earmarking about 15 places as CA sites, including the site in question. These sites were handed over to the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) in 1983 under the BDA approved plan,” a member of the society said.

“Two years ago, the BDA demolished a building constructed on the CA site after a few residents alerted them about the encroachment,” the member added. 

If sources are to be believed, a woman named Varamahalakshmi had bought the plot, allegedly using fake khatas from the Bruhat Bangalore Mahangara Palike (BBMP), before passing it over to her relative C S Ramesh, who later sold the site to Vasu. 

The residents claimed to have witnessed the ‘bhumi puja’ on the site on October 19. Four days later, tractors and other equipment were brought in to clear the debris, they added. 

The work is on to build sheds for construction workers on the site. A site engineer told Deccan Herald that the land is not a civic amenity site and an apartment would come up there. 

Corporator backs builder

The local corporator has refuted the residents’ charges, maintaining that it is not a CA site. 

“Next to the CA site, there is a vacant corner site and the builder is undertaking construction there,” said K Nandini, who represents Vidyaranyapura ward in the BBMP, under which BEL Layout falls. 

Meanwhile, BDA engineer P N Naik said that he would look into the issue before taking any action. 

“I will examine the facts first before taking the action. I’ve already instructed engineers about the matter and they are looking into the issue.” 

‘BMTF helpless’

The BMTF chief, R P Sharma, maintained that as per a recent High Court judgment, the agency should not interfere with the private constructions and hence it was helpless. 

“I believe the BDA might have auctioned the civic amenitiy site, something which should not be done ideally. The sites allotted for setting up government hospitals, playgrounds, parks, etc should not be used for constructing private buildings,” he stressed.