The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which launched a massive search and seizure operation at the Bengaluru Development Authority’s head office on Friday, claimed to have found at least 13 specific instances of corruption. A further probe is on, and the raids are expected to continue for a week, said ACB officials.
In a press release issued on Saturday, ACB said they found incriminating documents indicating corruption. Most of them relate to allocation of alternative sites and developed land as part of compensation to land losers in Vishweshwaraya Layout, Anjanapura, Arkavathy Layout and Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout.
For instance, a single person has been allotted six sites worth ₹75 crore in Vishweshwaraya Layout and Arkavathy Layout based on forged documents, ACB claimed. The anti-corruption bureau said it has also recovered incriminating documents that show prima facie large-scale irregularities in land acquisition for Nadaprabhu Kempegowda and Dr. Shivaram Karanth Layouts.
During the raids, sleuths uncovered documents showing how bona fide site allottees who have also paid the stipulated fee in time have not been allotted sites, handed over lease-cum-sale agreements in several layouts, harassing them.
BDA Chairman and BJP MLA S.R. Vishwanath welcomed the ACB raids and said no corrupt officials would be spared. Acknowledging widespread corruption within the authority, he was of the opinion that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) should be formed to undertake a comprehensive probe and bring all the guilty to book. He added that he would discuss the same with the Chief Minister.
“There is widespread corruption in the BDA at the lower bureaucratic levels harassing common people. Since I took charge as the Chairman, I have tried to root out the menace of commission agents and brokers. There is corruption in the higher echelons of the organisation too. We are now working on digitising all records, which will hopefully put some checks and balances,” he said.
