JOIN USResidents and site owners at Royal Enclave, a posh residential layout at Srirampura, off Jakkur, have been spending sleepless nights for the last few days as they fear some people are attempting to grab their pricey plots.
The residents said they were in for a shock on Sunday morning when a group of people brought down the compound wall of around 25 sites, despite an existing order from a City court to maintain the status quo.
A group of people claiming to be original owners of the land on which the layout has been developed arrived at the gated community with an earthmover and demolished the compound walls of several sites. They also damaged the boundary marks of many plots, according to the residents.
Rathnamala Nagaraj, who owns two sites at the layout, said she was shocked to see the compound wall of her sites damaged. “I had bought the sites in 1998. Now, I will consult my lawyer and take necessary action,” she said.
“Most of us have been living here for more than 10 years. We purchased the plots from the developers who had bought the land from local farmers through a General Power of Attorney (GPA) transaction in 1996. We pay betterment fee as well as property tax to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
It is an ‘A’ khata land. But some farmers backed by those having real estate interests and anti-social elements are now trying to grab the plots,” Chandrabhas Narayana, a resident, said.
According to residents, some farmers had moved the City Civil Court in July, claiming that the sale of land through GPA was a fraudulent transaction. The court had ordered that status quo be maintained.
The layout, spread over 45 acres and having 300 sites, was formed by Wing Commander (retired) K N Rao and four other developers. Structures have been built on about 60 per cent of the land.
As the layout is now fully developed and is located close to the highway that connects the Kempegowda International Airport, the prices of land have shot up manifold. Some farmers have “connived with the land mafia” to usurp the sites, residents claim.
According to Rao, real estate mafia is behind the demolition of compound walls. “Farmers filed the case after 18 years. Were they sleeping all these years? The land-grabbers have political clout. I have taken up the case in the court on behalf of site owners and told them to file a criminal case against the miscreants,” he said.
Kempanna, a farmer who originally owned two acres and 19 guntas of land, admitted that he had signed the GPA.