The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) cleared encroachment ‘worth ₹100 crore’ on its land in HBR Layout.
In a drive on Tuesday, 15 structures, including commercial establishments and sheds, have been cleared. The recovered land measuring 1.25 acres of land was acquired by the authority for the formation of HBR second phase layout in 1989. The survey number 75 had six acres of land out of which one-and-a-half acres of land was provided for building the outer ring road, and owners of the property allegedly did not part with the rest of the four and half acres of land.
The previous owners had approached the courts, including the Karnataka High Court, challenging acquisition of the land by the BDA. The court orders was in favour of the authority. A press release from the BDA stated that the previous owners had built commercial establishments and sheds and were generating revenue out of them.
For the demolition of illegal structures, 15 landmovers were used. Close to 200 police personnel were deployed for protection. The release said that though efforts were made to clear encroachments in the past, the owners managed to stop them by exerting pressure on officials and also protested against the officials.
BDA chairman S.R. Vishwanath said thousands of crore worth land of the authority had been encroached upon across the city. He asked the encroachers to voluntarily clear the land or face action.
