Investigations have unearthed scams of about ₹400 crore since January till now in the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) has been instituted. The government is also working on amending the BDA Act to overhaul the system, announced Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Friday.
“Criminal cases have been booked against officials involved in these scams,” said the Chief Minister, calling it “daylight robbery”. He added that 300 acres of BDA properties, estimated to cost between ₹300 crore and ₹350 crore, had been recovered after unearthing the scams which involved “hiding” plots from the government’s purview.
Since the present BDA Act does not allow for transferring out the officials who have been employed in the authority for decades, allowing them to indulge in fraudulent deals, the Chief Minister said an amendment to the Act was called for. “Change in the law will allow us to transfer them out of Bengaluru to other development authorities in the State,” said Mr. Yediyurappa.
e-auction
He said that as many as 1,572 corner sites were identified and sold through e-auction in 2020–21 by the BDA, bringing a total revenue of ₹1,422 crore to the government, the highest ever. This was over and above what was estimated to be accrued, he added.
The Chief Minister said he had plans to “change the very picture of Bengaluru” by improving infrastructure and qualify of life.
