Palike makes senior citizen run from pillar to post for compensation

A senior citizen whose property was acquired by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for widening of Bangalore-Mysore Road in 2011, has been running from pillar to post for compensation.

Despite visiting the Palike head office several times and making representations to many government officials over the years, 69-year-old D A Rajkumar, a resident of Banashankari, has not received a penny. In February-March 2009, the Palike, without issuing a notice to him, had demolished a part of his commercial property, to the extent of 840 sq ft.

“There were five to six other properties on Mysore Road but only my property was demolished. Two engineers were present at the time of demolition and they did not give me any notice. When I demanded compensation, the officials told me they could only give me the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR), which I refused as it involves many complications. Besides, I won’t be able to sell my property under it,” Rajkumar said. The BBMP officially acquired the property only in 2011.

Pay up, HC ordered Palike

Rajkumar approached the BBMP’s Land Acquisition department in 2009, writing several letters but did not get any reply.

Frustrated, he moved the High Court in 2012 and on February 11, 2013, the court directed the Palike to settle the compensation within three months from the date of order. The court also ordered the BBMP to pay a penalty of Rs 2,000 per month to Rajkumar from the date of land acquisition.

The civic body finally agreed to pay a compensation of Rs 48.91 lakh and sent him a letter in this regard in May, 2013. “As per the court order, the Palike was supposed to pay me in three months. But it said it will be able to pay the money only by February this year. But it has failed to honour even that promise.”

Rajkumar recently sent a letter to BBMP Commissioner M Lakshminarayana, but is yet to get a favourable reply. As a final resort, he is considering filing a contempt of court petition.

When contacted, Lakshminarayana said he would look into the matter at the earliest and take suitable steps.