Site owners of two Bangalore Development Authority layouts want their problems solved before fresh allotments at Dr. Shivaram Karanth Layout

The Banashankari 6th Stage Layout was formed in 2001. 

Owners of sites in at least two layouts, which have been stuck in a legal tangle, are now pressing the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to devise a solution for them, before allotting sites at the Dr. Shivaram Karanth Layout located in north Bengaluru. 

The BDA is currently preparing to allot sites at the layout which has 34,000 plots and 4,500 corner sites. This is the second largest layout after the Sir M. Visvesvaraya Layout. 

Over 1,000 site owners of the Banashankari 6th Stage Layout formed in 2001 are left in the lurch, as they are unable to build homes owing to a tussle between the Forest Department and the BDA.

The Forest Department has fenced a portion of the layout which has 60 to 70 sites, after it found out that the BDA encroached upon the Turahalli forest land. The department is also claiming that Block 6 of the layout was developed on the buffer zone of the forest land. There are about 1,150 sites in this block that is now stuck in legal tangles.

T.S. Mahesha, president of Banashankari 6th Stage Residential Welfare Association, told The Hindu: “Now the BDA is ready to allocate sites at the Dr. Shivaram Karanth Layout ignoring the plight of owners in our layout. We received sites in 2001, but owing to the fight between the BDA and the Forest Department we are not able to build homes on our sites”.

He further said that a lack of coordination between the two departments had made finding an amicable solution a herculean task. “The BDA should first resolve the problem in its existing layouts before going ahead with new site allotment,” he said.

Meanwhile, many site allottees in Arkavathy Layout have not been given sites owing to a shortage of land, as several parcels of land notified for the layout were denotified. These allottees were to be given alternative sites in Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout. However, not all were given such alternative sites and they are now demanding alternative sites in the Dr. Shivaram Karanth Layout.

S. Suresh Kumar, Rajajinagar MLA, has written to Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar raising these issues. He also urged Mr. Shivakumar to prioritise the problems of these site owners before commencing new allotments.

A BDA official said the authority is working with stakeholders to solve the problems and this was in no way connected with fresh allotments.

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