BENGALURU: In view of the land being said to be unsuitable, a defence team comprising senior officers from the Karnataka-Kerala Sub area visited the Thammanayakanahalli survey numbers in Anekal taluk and inspected the 'huge mined area' being offered in exchange by the state government.
Recently, in lieu of prime defence lands being given in Bengaluru city for 10 infrastructure projects by the defence ministry, the state government had signed an agreement with them to give 207.59 acres in exchange that comprises three survey numbers No 23, 176, and 177 in Thammanayakanahalli village.
Accompanied by revenue and police officials, the team comprising Major General Sanjeev Narain, GOC, A S Karki and other defence officials went around the land which once housed many a legal and illegal stone crushing and quarry mines. Defence personnel who went around the area found it to be defaced and heavily mined in many chunks. They took stock of the scenario in Survey No. 23 and 177 which in fact, comprises notified, crusher and leased grant areas.
A defence official from Delhi told The New Indian Express that the visit was done in the background of reports that the land was unsuitable and not fit for defence use. As per official sources, the defence team inspected the survey numbers which adjoins both the forest and elephant corridor areas in the vicinity of the Bannerghatta National Park.
An official added, "The land was found to be unfit for their purposes. The defence personnel are yet to take a decision on whether to accept these heavily mined lands in exchange for prime defence lands in the city. Further, the location of the lands - being very close to BNP and the elephant corridor - is a matter of serious concern for the defence ministry."