Search results matching tags 'Bangalore' and 'Scams'

Yediyur lake encroachment leaves BBMP red in the face

233134 — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:03:00 GMT

To clear or not to clear. That is the BBMP's dilemma as it views a report on encroachment over 8 acres around Yediyur lake in Jayanagar VI Block.

This issue has cropped up time and again, and though the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) submitted three reports to BMP (the erstwhile BBMP), no action has been initiated. Most often, the BBMP ducked the issue saying the land was tank bund area and the ownership lied to the revenue department. Now, it requested the BDA to look for the land documents going back to the 1940s when the City Improvement Trust Board acquired the land.

The issue came to light in 2004, when RTI activist L Shankarlingaiah sought details on the encroachment by some individuals around Yediyur Lake. The issue was referred to the BMTF, which got a survey done by the Land Revenue and Land Records department and submitted a report to the BBMP.

The survey stated that 8 acres, 2 guntas of land had been encroached upon around Yediyur lake, which falls under Yediyur and Dasarahalli villages. While the original lake area shrunk from 18 acres, 2 guntas to 15 acres, 23 guntas, there was further encroachment of 6 acres around the tank bund area.

Besides, the encroached land has changed hands over the past 30 years, either through sale or through divisions in the families which owned it. During the past 10 years, a number of apartments have cropped up on the encroached land. In 2005, the then urban development secretary S V Ranganath directed the BBMP to initiate action against the encroachment.

Source:Times of India

The orange has got him too

233134 — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:14:00 GMT

Lured by ad for affordable flats in B'lore, IAF officer pays deposit, only to see firm do a vanishing act

Bangaloreans are not the only ones to have been allegedly cheated by controversial property firm Orange Construction and Infrastructure.

An air force officer from Delhi is reportedly the latest among many others from across the country to lose their deposits on flats that were offered cheap but which they never got.

Orange offered affordable residential sites and flats to hundreds of people and allegedly made crores by never delivering on its promise.

Some time ago Orange was directed by Police Commissioner S M Bidari to return the deposits, but many are still waiting for the refund.

Bidari had also asked victims to file complaints against the company and warned the company of strict action if it failed to refund people's money.

The latest victim, Indian Air Force officer Ashutosh Dixit from Noida (Uttar Pradesh), near Delhi, had approached the company after reading a property advertisement by Orange in a leading daily.

The advertisement had offered flats near Devanahalli in December 2008.

Dixit contacted the company and came to the city on its invitation to inspect the flats. Company executives showed him a flat and promised to get it registered if he liked it.

Falling for it

Pleased with the offer, Dixit paid Rs 3.17 lakh by way of deposit. He was asked to pay monthly instalments of Rs 5,000 to cover the remaining cost of the flat.

Dixit returned home, but the next time he tried to contact the Orange office to clarify some doubts, he was surprised to find all phone lines disconnected.

He tried the mobile numbers of the executives, and found them not working. Dixit came to Bangalore and found the Orange office locked, and soon learned about the alleged scam the company was involved in.

Dixit filed a complaint with the Ashok Nagar police, saying the company had cheated not only him but also many people in Delhi and other places.

Loot and scoot
>>Aggressive advertising
Orange Construction and Infrastructure would place ads in newspapers offering flats at greatly slashed prices in Bangalore at a time when property prices had gone through the roof and attract hundreds of people dreaming of a home.

>>EMI option to floor 'em
Company executives would actually arrange visits to flats. They would tell prospective buyers they could pay a deposit of a few lakh rupees and make good the rest of the property cost by paying in monthly instalments.

>>Going incommunicado
Once the deposit was with the company, it would cut off all contact with the buyers. Phone calls would not be answered, the office would be locked, and the buyer would finally come to realise that he had been had.

Source:Mid-Day

Good News:Karnataka Land Sharks will soon be booked

233134 — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:21:00 GMT

[photo:listing:1955071:1]Here is a good news to all those poor farmers and NRI Investors: Land grabbers, many of whom went scotfree all this while, may now end up behind bars for laying their hands on prime government land.The jinxed A T Ramaswamy committee report on encroachments will come to life again.

An exclusive Act to deal with land grabbing and establish a special court to prosecute violators is on the anvil. The Karnataka Land Grabbing (Prohibition) Bill 2007, that's awaiting the President's nod, is expected to get through by October.

What's more, a task force has been set up to prevent encroachments. The body headed by retired IAS officer V Balasubramanian was approved by a government order on September 19. The entire state will fall under its jurisdiction.

To begin with, the task force will commission a survey of government lands in Karnataka, barring Bangalore. For Bangalore Urban, the data collected by the former joint legislature committee on encroachments, headed by Ramaswamy, will be used.

"We had the first meeting today (Tuesday) and I will write to all the deputy commissioners of districts to send me a report on the status of government lands. Since Bangalore data is available, action will be taken against land grabbers. With the formation of a special court to look into such cases, the punishment will be stringent," Balasubramanian said.

SPEEDY TRIAL

One of the landmark provisions of the Bill is the setting up of a special fast-track court to try cases of government land encroachment. With a deadline of six months to dispose of a case, the court will be headed by a retired high court or Supreme Court judge. All criminal and civil cases relating to government land encroachments pending in other courts will be transferred to the special court. The accused can be sent o jail for a period of three years.
Source:Times of India

Koramangala residents fight for lung space

248075 — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 06:22:00 GMT

Even after 10 years of watching their local playground being monopolised by a private hard-ball cricket camp, members of the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) of Kormangala Third Block are not willing to give up. Now they have come together to keep their efforts in redeeming the two-and-a-half-acre park on track.

Designated as a civic amenity site in 2001 by a High Court ruling, the playground has been turned into a private coaching camp under the name of Koramangala Cricket Academy by Shiva and his partner Ravi, both residents of the area. “What is shocking is that the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has sanctioned something like this,” said an outraged RWA member on Wednesday.

The RWA members alleged that Rs. 25 lakh had been sanctioned towards this activity, in a document shown to them by the BBMP.

K. Jairaj, former Commissioner, BBMP, wrote to the then Joint Commissioner (East) BBMP to involve local residents in the development of the park-***- playground.

“The owners of this cricket coaching centre, who have usurped the playground by laying out 12 pitches during peak coaching time, charge a hefty fee from enrolled children — anywhere between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 7,000,” said the residents, who are being backed by MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar and MLA Ramalinga Reddy.

Moreover, the residents allege that the owners rent out the ground to corporates for Rs. 250 per pitch per hour on weekends.

“The owners of this camp are abusive and hostile and treat this park as their own when it is really public property,” they complained.

“How can senior citizens walk around with hard-ball cricket being played here? This is such a large park and can accommodate children playing all sports – why should a private party take over? All constructive activity such as the building of a walking pathway has been stopped.”

Mr. Reddy, who met the residents a few days ago, said he would speak with officials of the BBMP in the first week of April to sort out the issue.

He said: “Crores of rupees have been sanctioned for parks and playgrounds this year, and I am going to propose that Rs. 50 lakh be allotted to this park.

“If there is unauthorised activity here, we must not allow it. The Comprehensive Development Plan says it is a park *** playground.”

Mr. Ravi denied the charge of being associated with camp but he said he would rather see children play cricket rather than be “terrorists or Naxalites”.

“Why can’t they use any other park in Koramangala?” he asked. However, the residents pointed out that Third Block had just one playground-***-park. When contacted, BBMP’s top officials declined to comment.

Source:The Hindu, 13th March, 2009

Illegal deals rampant in Bangalore hamlets

248075 — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:25:00 GMT

In Hongasandra and Singasandra villages of Bommanahalli, primarily agricultural land belts, you will not find a single

piece of land that has been transacted legally.

Hamlets around Bangalore stretching over 1,000 acres to 1,500 acres have not been converted from agriculture to non-agricultural purpose, but have been sold and developed haphazardly. Worse, survey numbers of large tracts of lands are missing though they have been registered.

The Lok Ayukta probe into irregularities in the registration of revenue properties in and around Bangalore has put 27 sub-registrars in the dock. The investigation revealed that discrepancies are not confined to Hongasandra and Singasandra alone -- nearly 1,000 villages have registered illegal property transactions.

Following a confidential report by the then Inspector General of Stamps and Registration department H Shashidhar, who recommended a probe into the irregularities and action against sub-registrars, the case was handed over to the Lok Ayukta in May 2008.

The probe, conducted by a one-man committee comprising retired special deputy commissioner Somashekar, looked into 1 lakh documents (property registrations) over nine months -- between April and December 2007. It found that over 60,000 transactions were unauthorized. The report will be submitted to the government by this month-end.

In the hamlets added to Greater Bangalore, an acre has been split into guntas and registered as tiny plots. If 1 acre is split into 40 transactions, then the purpose is meant to be residential. This without land conversion.

"In several villages, the entire tract of agricultural land has been sold without conversion and registered. There is no approval from the planning authorities for the development. Even if the government decides to regularize revenue land, who will set things right? The damage has been done,'' Lok Ayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde told TOI.

However, there is a hitch in framing charges against the sub-registrars. While the Karnataka Land Revenue Act restricts officials from registering revenue properties, the Registration Act does not have any such riders -- sub-registrars are bound to register any document and need not verify the credentials.

"There is some ambiguity between the two Acts -- the Land Revenue Act and Registration Act. The rules are not complementary to each other. We are analyzing whether or not to frame charges against the sub-registrars. As per one Act, the sub-registrars have committed a violation. But the other Act does not put the officials in the dock,'' Justice Hegde added.

Source:Times of India 25th Jan, 2009

Maytas are involved in many Infrastructure Projects of Karnataka

233134 — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:09:00 GMT

After Satyam Computer Services Ltd chairman Ramalinga Raju admitted to a fraud of Rs 7,000 crore by him, the consequences
are likely to hit the infrastructure development sector in Karnataka.

The revelation has made the state government to sit up because Maytas Infra Pvt Ltd -- a company promoted by Satyam -- has been involved in some key infrastructure development projects in the state on a public private partnership (PPP) basis.

Tejraj, son of R Raju, owns Maytas and is involved in projects like building Shimoga and Gulbarga airports, besides being part of a consortium in constructing the elevated expressway connecting Silk Board Junction to Electronic City.

Where the tremors might be felt:

Shimoga and Gulbarga airports
The infrastructure development department (IDD), the nodal agency to execute airport clearances, has signed a project development agreement with the consortium comprising Maytas, Nagarjuna Construction Corporation (NCC) and VIE India Project Development and Holdings to build Shimoga and Gulbarga greenfield airports. Estimated cost of each project is Rs 110 crore.

Elevated expressway
Maytas is also part of a consortium that is developing an elevated toll expressway connecting Bangalore and Electronics City. This is located at Bangalore-Hosur section on NH 7. The project under the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) worth Rs 775 crore is handled by a consortium comprising Soma Enterprise Ltd, Nagarjuna Constructions and Maytas Infra.
While government officials maintain that it is premature to make any comment on a re-think of continuing partnership with Maytas, NHAI has said the elevated expressway would not be halted as the financial closure for the project was completed in October 26

KPTCL sub-stations
Even the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (KPTCL) has arrived at an agreement with Maytas Infra. The company is said to have bagged the project from the KPTCL for construction of seven 110 KV sub-stations along with transmission lines on a turnkey basis in Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur and Hubli. The total value of the project is Rs 67 crore.

Bangalore Metro Rail
Another key area where the company has its hand in Karnataka is the prestigious Bangalore Metro Rail project. Maytas has been awarded the contract for construction of boundary walls, roads, drains and earth filling for the Byappanahalli depot. The project, which is in progress, involves site development for metro car sheds. The contract value is Rs 42 crore.

The entire logistics and manpower training for the Arogya Kavacha -- the emergency medical response service on the toll-free helpline number 108 -- is said to be provided by Satyam's non-profit arm called the Emergency Management Research Institute (EMRI).

Bangalore-Mysore highway
On the positives, Brindavan Infrastructure Company Ltd, a `special purpose vehicle' created by Maytas Infra along with Nagarjuna Construction Company and KMC Constructions Ltd, has successfully implemented the four-lane Bangalore-Mysore highway on NH 17 worth Rs 240 crore. The company has also completed building 5.5-km-long Sira by-pass road.

BMIC
Maytas was also involved in the construction of Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure
Corridor (BMIC) peripheral road project. A consortium -- Karnataka First Consortium -- were formed involving four companies: Maytas Infra, GVK Infra, Nandi Intellectual Properties and Indus Capital Partners. The consortium has submitted a proposal to the government proposing to build nine expressways with a length of 2,496 km

Tehelka Reports the Condition of North Indian workers in Bangalore Realty

233134 — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:50:00 GMT

North Indians are under attack in Mumbai, but in Bangalore they are the lifeblood of the construction industry. SANJANA from Tehelka visits the camps they are stuffed in

There is nothing to look forward to at home even though I own two acres of land. No rain means no work. My daughter had to be married off. My parents are old and sick.
Ganesh Ram, Begusarai, Bihar

I work all the time here. Some Sundays, I just want to sleep and forget about the work, the dust... If I could escape, I would. But where is the money?
Abhilash Toto, Rajganj, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal

AMID THE construction din that has engulfed Bangalore, desperate voices such as these are drowned out. The city’s property and infrastructure development is in the midst of a very visible boom. Flyovers, IT parks, residential and commercial projects are coming up in a frenzy. Some real estate industry watchers peg the current investment in Bangalore at Rs 12,000 crore with over 1.5 lakh apartments under construction. Others say this is a conservative estimate.

India is currently looking at creating local Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). REITs are like mutual funds and, if approved by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), will translate into skyrocketing foreign investments into real estate development. Bangalore is expected to account for at least 30 percent of the $50 billion dollar plus foreign investment that is awaiting a nod from SEBI.

This high “investor confidence” and boom in construction industries in Bangalore and other cities in Karnataka is being sustained by almost 15 lakh migrant workers from places as far as UP, Bihar, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Construction companies no longer turn to workers from Karnataka; they specifically ask contractors to employ labourers from these states because they work “harder”.

Escaping from poverty and disease at home, these workers are sucked into a labour economy that is characterised by exploitative labour practices, unsafe working environments, inhuman living conditions with little access to basic amenities and almost complete social exclusion. Their story is a parable for other migrant workers across the country...........................
Read More here http://www.tehelka.com/story_main37.asp?filename=cr010308grist_for.asp

Bangalore Reality: People's awareness How to stop Corruption?

248075 — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:02:00 GMT

Upon Request I am Sharing this mail that was sent to me by Mr.Saranga Bezbaruah, who got a taste of of Namma Bangaluru Police! The Intention is not to Discriminate Police Department but to encourage people to rise voice where ever and when ever they can against corruption and malpractices in the System instead of being a Dumb Spectator as Mr.Saranga Bezbaruah has done, and hearty congrats to him from all Proud Bangaloreans.

"I am writing to you about this incident expecting that I can raise people's awareness. Bellows is the letter I gave to honorable DGP Traffic Police East.
--------------Letter--------------
Respected Sir,
Date of incident: 28/01/2008
Time of incident: 1:00 PM
Place: Near Cauvery Cinema, Hebbal Road
Subject: Complain against
(1) Bribery
(2) Extortion
(3) Misuse of power
(4) Threatening and misbehaving
Document: Fine receipt
Description of incident :
Next to Cauvery cinema, a road goes to sankey tank, which is closed due to undergoing construction work. Via backside of Cauvery cinema a lane goes to Malleshwaram, but this is one-way, and I could not see the one-way board and just entered the road up to 10 to 20 meters, on my two-wheeler at a speed of 5 to 10 km/hour, and stopping for inquiring people for a root to Mallshwaram.
3 traffic police officers were standing, one of whom asked me for fine of Rs300. I paid the fine and waited for the receipt. After my asking for the receipt, he gave me receipt of Rs100 saying that fine will be of Rs100 only. He wrote in the fine slip:
“Nature of offense: Found violating against one-way”
Then I signed and waited for him to return Rs200, but he returned only Rs100. He gave me receipt of Rs100, but kept Rs200. When I asked to return another Rs100 (since the fine was of Rs100 only) he forcefully snatched the receipt from me and wrote Rs300 over Rs100 (overwrote) after my signing on the receipt and also added to “Nature of offense” and made it
“Nature of offense: Found violating against one-way and dangerous driving”
When I requested saying “I was not doing dangerous driving, but was at 5 to 10 km/hour speed”, he shouted at me, misbehaved and threatened me to give another Rs100 and took total of Rs300 from me.

Thereafter, I went to:
1)The nearest police station. They did not take complain, noted down my phone number and asked me to leave.
2)Traffic police station at Malleshwaram. They said, “nothing can be done”
3)Honorable Police commissioner’s office. I was not allowed to meet him.
4)Honorable Traffic Police commissioner’s office. I was not allowed to meet him.
5)And few other offices as well till 8:30 pm. But no one helped than sending me to some other office.

Your’s sincerely a citizen of India
Saranga Bezbaruah
maverick_sarang [at] yahoo.com
----------------------------------

Finally in afternoon on 29/01/08 I could meet honorable Traffic Police commissioner and honorable DGP Traffic Police east. When I gave this letter, with a photocopy of the fine receipt, to honorable DGP Traffic Police east, he not only accepted my complain, but also started inquiry immediately and assured me that an inquiry will be done. After meeting him I came to believe that there are good people like him in police department who can help us only if we have some courage to approach them. I request people to cooperate with them to fight against crimes just by believing in them and approaching them"

Demolition drive continues in Bangalore

233134 — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 12:10:00 GMT

70 buildings on primary drains(Raja Kaluve) razed in Bangalore city
The drive was launched on Saturday
Areas in three zones covered on Monday

Structures that encroached upon the primary drains and caused the deluge on the festive weekend throwing life out of gear are being razed by heavy machinery and men deployed by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). In an effort to prevent a repetition of this sort of trouble to citizens, the BBMP demolished 70 buildings that had encroached upon primary drains across the city.

The demolition drive that was launched on Saturday continued on Monday. It was concentrated in areas around Puttenahalli Lake in the Bommanahalli zone, Bhadrappa Layout near Hebbal Lake in the Byatarayanapura zone and Nayandanahalli near Mysore Road in the Dasarahalli zone.

On Monday, 10 buildings were brought down near Puttenahalli Lake even as the BBMP set up relief camps at government schools to provide temporary shelter to those who had been evicted. At Bhadrappa Layout, all encroachments have been completely cleared, said official sources.

BBMP Commissioner S. Subramanya told The Hindu that the encroachments on storm water drains running across the city have been identified. “They [encroachments] will be razed when necessary,” he said when asked about the time-frame in which all encroachments would be brought down.

“The rule of law will be applied in all cases.” Interestingly, the large-scale demolitions in the city hardly evoked a whimper of protest either by residents or local politicians, a common feature during demolitions in the past.

At Bhadrappa Layout, where a new apartment complex was being brought down, the builder, Rama Raju, merely shrugged his shoulders when asked whether he would protest against the demolition of a part of his building. “We brought an injunction order against the demolition but they (BBMP) are not bothered about it. The flats they are demolishing have been sold but not occupied. We have to find some way out now,” he said.

Other residents, however, were vocal in their appreciation for the demolition drive. “It is good that the Mahanagara Palike has taken up demolition of these encroachments. Several houses in the neighbourhood would get flooded when it rains. There is no question of pity because most of these encroachments have come up wantonly,” said N. Anand, a resident of Balaji Layout, adjacent to Hebbal Lake.
Visit Source: The Hindu

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No more floods on Mysore Road, Bangalore South

233134 — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:09:00 GMT

Twenty-four buildings stood bang on the raja kaluve of Nayandahalli Lake and were the main reason for flooding on the Mysore Road during the October 2005 downpour. While many areas in south, east and south-west were marooned, the Mysore-Bangalore highway was closed for two days.

On Thursday morning, armed with men and machinery, the district administration started demolishing these illegal structures to free the raja kaluve. And the message was loud and clear to encroachers: Evict or get bulldozed.

With three battalions of CRPF personnel, 10 earth movers, 15 heavy-duty trucks, cutters, drillers, 25 engineers, and over 100 gang men in tow, the massive operation began under the supervision of Bangalore urban DC M A Sadiq.

The encroachment had wiped out the natural drain that facilitated the flow of rain water out of the city. According to Sadiq, this was the second major operation after Kodigehalli where 64 structures that come up on a drain were demolished.

The eviction drive was possible after a long legal battle. Finally, the high court cleared all stays and reverted the case to special deputy commissioner Rame Gowda. He ordered eviction on August 20 and 10 days were given to occupants to clear the place. The natural drain that begins at the lower end of the Nayandahalli Lake joins the Vrishabhavati Valley. With illegal structures blocking the raja kaluve, a small storm water drain was the only channel for the excess water to flow out.

"Once the encroachments are cleared, the natural drain will be restored. The BBMP has already started drain work at Kodigehalli and soon they will take up works here," Sadiq said.

As Sadiq was overseeing the demolition work, chief minister H D Kumaraswamy called him up to express his support and told him not to show any mercy on the encroachers. Next in the firing line are 31 illegal buildings in Puttenahalli.
News Source: Times of India 7th September 2007

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