BENGALURU: The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has recently instructed the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) to withhold power connections to illegal buildings emerging in areas marked for acquisition under the Dr Shivarama Karanth Layout extension project.
Additionally, it has directed Block Development Officers of Gram Panchayats not to issue Khata certificates for such constructions.
Letters to this effect have been issued by Executive Engineers to the concerned organisations in an attempt to tackle the growing problem of unauthorised structures in the region.
A senior BDA official explained, “The layout has already been developed with 34,000 regular sites and 4,500 corner sites across 3,546 acres of land. It spans 17 villages between Doddaballapur and Hesaraghatta. Earlier this year, BDA proposed to expand the layout by an additional 2,095 acres. Property owners, aware of this proposal, have been rapidly constructing illegal buildings since March to prevent the acquisition of their land.”
To counter this trend, BDA is conducting demolitions three times a week, the official revealed. However, given the vastness of the area, new constructions continue to appear.
“If a family obtains a power connection or Khata certificate, it becomes extremely challenging to remove them from the property. Therefore, our engineers are employing a different strategy—cutting off access to electricity. When people realise power connections are denied, those planning illegal constructions might also be discouraged,” the official added.
The New Indian Express has accessed a copy of the BDA’s letter, which highlights that land parcels in Avalahalli, Anantapura, Ramagondanahalli, Allasandra, Rajanakunte, Judicial Layout, Yelahanka, and Rajanakunte are among the areas identified for extension.
The letter further notes, “In some cases, areas designated for parks and other civic amenities in our proposed plan have been sold off by owners to unsuspecting buyers.”
The Justice A. V. Chandrashekhar Committee has overseen the layout’s development, which was completed by December 2023. However, the project awaits approval from the High Court to proceed with allotments.