Houses built illegally on 3,750 acres of BDA land: Siddaramaiah

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Thursday that houses had been built illegally on 3,750 acres of land belonging to the Bangalore Development Authority.

Replying to a question by Y A Narayanaswamy (BJP) in the legislative council, he said the houses were built unauthorisedly before and after the acquisition of land by the BDA. Residents of these houses have been enjoying all the facilities, including electricity and water connection.

The petition committee of the legislature has suggested that such houses should be regularised after collecting penalty. BDA officials have been instructed to furnish details of these illegal buildings so that the next move could be decided, he said.

The chief minister said that for developing 68 layouts, the BDA had issued notification to acquire 39,803 acres. Of these, 22,394 acres were acquired. Of the 1.85 lakh sites developed, 1.52 lakh sites have been allotted. Layouts could not be developed on 6,869 acres of the acquired land by the BDA, he pointed out. 

He said the lawyers who had been handling the BDA’s cases pertaining to land acquisitions would be changed if they were found working against the interests of the civic agency, he said. The chief minister was responding to Narayanaswamy who alleged that certain lawyers of the BDA had colluded with landowners.

Congress MLC V S Ugrappa said the rule of constructing houses within three years after site allotment was not being followed. In addition, many sites had not been allotted yet, he added.