BENGALURU:The Upa Lokayukta on Monday ordered a survey to establish the ownership of land worth about Rs 1,000 crore, allegedly grabbed by a private developer.
Justice Subhash B Adi told Express the survey would be jointly carried out by the Railways, Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, the Revenue Department, the Land Records Department and Mantri Mall.
Responding to a complaint filed by the South Western Railway (SWR), Adi issued notices to the Deputy Commissioner, Deputy Director of Land Records, and the Additional Commissioner of the BBMP, to appear before him on May 21.
The Upa Lokayukta seeks “to know the correctness of the allegation made in the complaint” that Railways land in Malleswaram, one of Bengaluru’s most expensive real estate zones, was encroached for a housing and commercial complex. A date will soon be fixed for the joint survey.
Lakshman Singh, Divisional Railway Manager (Works), has accused various state government departments of failing to safeguard prime railway property. “It seems to be tacit understanding between state government officials and Mantri Developers,” alleges his complaint.
The developers are working day and night to build a commercial complex with five or six floors. It will be difficult to remove the encroachment if they are allowed to complete the construction, he has said.
Singh has said Railway records date back to pre-Independence days and superimposing them against the new records could determine the extent of its holdings.
How Builders Came Into Picture
In the 1920s, the Revenue Department acquired about six acres, adjacent to the present Swastik Metro station, for the Railways.
A narrow gauge track was laid there was in use till the 1970s, connecting Bengaluru and Bangarpet via Yeshwanthpur and Kolar.
The track was removed in the 1970s after the route was connected to the main line between Bengaluru and Tumakuru.
The land, near Mantri Mall, remained vacant, with an embankment and a bridge. Mantri Developers was allowed to develop the Metro station after they signed an agreement with the state government and the Metro authorities.
The Railways says Mantri Developers tried to grab the land several times, but its efforts were had been thwarted. “The fencing which was erected by the developers was removed by Railways in ... 2011,” the complaint says.
Mantri Developers filed a case in the High Court the same year. The court had orally instructed them not to do anything on the disputed land.
Yet, they took possession of the land on the pretext of building a public road, the Railways has alleged.
The Railways had approached the Revenue Department for a re-survey, and submitted all documents on September 1, 2012 and October 23, 2014.
When no action was forthcoming, the Railways approached the Lokayukta authorities. The Railways had even filed a complaint with the Malleswaram police on October 27, 2014.
Old documents show a road leading to Tumkur in existence between the narrow guage track and Raja Mill, now in the possession of Mantri Developers. They have removed half the embankment, according to the complaint.
Once a revenue survey is carried out, it will be easy to identify what belongs to the Railways, the BBMP and Raja Mill, the complaint says.
Mantri Developers was not available for comment.
‘No Ambiguity in Records’
Sunanda Arul, Estate Officer and Additional Divisional Railway Manager (ADRM) of Bangalore Division, told Express the Railways would present documents and plans to prove land ownership. “There is no ambiguity about ownership,” she said. “Going by present market valuation, the land is worth Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 crore.”