Bengaluru's ‘hidden’ sites elude not only MLAs, but the CM, too

Over time, the BDA has become notorious for corruption; Karnataka HC dubbed it as ‘Bangalore Destruction Authority’

Not even Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has access to sites developed by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which are kept hidden in one of the many land-related scams that came up for discussion in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.

“You will be surprised...there are BDA sites for which no documents exist,” Yediyurappa said during the motion of thanks for the Governor’s address.

“The documents are concealed, which we’ve started unearthing. You won’t believe the kind of scams! These sites will not be shown to you or even me. They will be shown only if officials are given money. That’s how systematic the scams are,” Yediyurappa said.

Yediyurappa was responding to senior BJP legislator Araga Jnanendra who said that the creation of fake land documents was rampant in a city like Bengaluru. Citing his own example, Jnanendra said even legislators were not spared by scamming officials.

“In 2009, I was allotted a ‘G’ category site on which I still haven’t been able to build a house. Someone got a fake document and got a stay, which never gets vacated. The BDA gave the site, but an official testified in court that the land was not the BDA’s,” he said.

Jnanendra, who heads the Karnataka Housing Board, had more beans to spill. “In Kengeri, we have an old project dating back to 1976. I asked the local engineer to check if there were any vacant sites. He said there weren’t any, but we found one that was kept hidden with debris. Eventually, we discovered 74 vacant sites,” he said. “Such hidden sites are revealed only if officials are bribed Rs 1,000-2,000 per feet!”

Over time, the BDA has become notorious for these reasons. In 2011, the High Court of Karnataka dubbed the BDA as ‘Bangalore Destruction Authority’.

BDA chairperson SR Vishwanath told the Assembly that he was wary when Yediyurappa picked him to head the agency. “It’s a good organisation that has given Bengaluru 65,000-70,000 sites. But, it has gone astray mostly due to officials,” he said.

Apparently, former JD(S) minister MC Managuli, who died recently, was made to run pillar-to-post by the BDA. “He came to see me a month ago. He said he got a site in BTM Layout 20 years ago. Because of some dispute, he sought an alternative site, which was not given to him all these years,” he said, adding that senior Congress leader KC Kondaiah, too, was made to wait 18 years.

“There is no digitization. They’re still sitting with old books. We’re fixing this,” Vishwanath said.

Yediyurappa promised the House that the BDA will be revamped. “You will see the changes in the next 4-5 months. I’ve ordered the transfer of people who have squatted there for years indulging in corrupt practices. We’re taking appropriate action on illegalities related to land,” he said.

If Yediyurappa has his way, then lands belonging to the BDA that are illegally occupied will be distributed to the poor. “This is what I’ve decided. At least the poor can build a house and live peacefully.”