BENGALURU: The whopping increase in compensation for properties handed over for infrastructure work under the Land Acquisition Act 2013 has made the acquisition of properties for infrastructure work an easy affair for Phase-II of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). However, some property owners want the compensation to be upped further and are approaching either the court or the BMRCL in this connection.
While the compensation given for acquired land for Phase-I was 30 per cent of the land cost going by the prevailing guidance value, the compensation provided in Phase-II is 100 per cent of the land value. BMRCL needs to acquire nearly 300 acres for its 72.1 km Phase-II and the compensation amount expected to be handed over for it has been fixed at around Rs 6,293 crore.
According to M S Channappa Goudar, General Manager, Land Acquisitions, BMRCL, “We presently provide Rs 7,000 per square foot for residential land and Rs 9,800 per square foot for commercial properties. This is based on the guidance value given by the Revenue department at the time the preliminary notification for land acquisition is issued. In addition to that, an annual interest of 12% is paid on the amount until the full compensation is handed over.” The compensation is paid through the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB).
The Land Acquisition office of BMRCL sees a beeline of owners pressing their case for an increased compensation for their property. The New Indian Express found one family asking Rs 15,000 per square foot for parting with their land for Hebbagodi depot while another family whose land is required for the R V Road-Bommasandra Line wanted the 2017 guidance value to be followed.
“We need to go ahead with the acquisition process. We deposit the amount finalised by us in the court and it is up to those handing over land to collect it or file a case for more compensation,” Goudar said.
Among the few who have filed a writ petition against BMRCL for more compensation is the owner of Kavya Petro Park at Doddenakundi. BMRCL has acquired 71.16 square metres of the land of M S Jagannath by paying Rs 82 lakh for the property, said an official. “As per the sale deed, the total land is valued at Rs 31,30,000 only. The owner now wants over Rs 3 crore (3,30,77,536) for his property and has gone to court,” the official added. Despite repeated efforts, the owner’s son refused to speak with this reporter about it.