The Hindu 02.12.2010
Revenue land losers get alternative BDA sites
Staff Reporter
| ‘Do not notify land and acquire it if people have built houses on the land' |
All Smiles:Recipients of site allotment letters at a function in Bangalore on Wednesday.
Bangalore: It was a dream come true for Zakira Begum, a lecturer, when the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) announced that owners of revenue land that has been acquired for layout formation will get alternative sites soon.
“But I did not know it could be so soon. My dream has been fulfilled. I had lost all hopes of owning a house in Bangalore after my site in J.P. Nagar was acquired by the BDA in 2002,” she told The Hindu on the sidelines of a programme organised by BDA to distribute alternative site allotment letters to revenue land losers.
She is one of the 2,000 allottees who have been identified by the BDA for alternative sites. Home and Transport Minister R. Ashok and Housing Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu formally handed over letters to 25 allottees on Wednesday.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ashok advised BDA officials not to notify land and acquire it for layout formation if people had built houses on the land. “Please do not go by seeing the land records. Go to the area and see for yourself if people are residing there,” he said.
Arkavathy Layout
With regard to land acquisition problems pertaining to Arkavathy layout, Mr. Ashok said the issue would be settled amicably after holding talks with farmers and site allottees.
Farmers of villages where land has been acquired for the layout are up in arms against the BDA. They have been on a protest for the last one week demanding 50 per cent of developed land for every acre they lose. The Chief Minister on Tuesday promised farmers' leaders that he would soon meet them to resolve the mess.
Mr. Ashok said the BJP Government was not responsible for the mess as the land was acquired in the past.
Truckers' strike
Expressing dissatisfaction against the truckers' strike, the Minister said: “This is nothing but blackmail. They are repeatedly calling for strikes instead of getting their problems resolved amicably.”
He said that the truckers have the impression that the government would succumb if they inconvenience the public.
He offered to hold talks with the Union Transport Ministry during his visit to Delhi on December 5.
BDA Commissioner Bharatlal Meena said 700 of the 2,000 allottees were given alternative sites following a court order. The rest were identified by the BDA as losers of revenues sites, he said.
While 25 of them were given the letters on Wednesday, others would have to collect it from the BDA office, he added.
