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The Hindu
a day ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Bengaluru property owners up in arms after BBMP notification for road widening lists past owners
Property owners on ITPL - Hoodi Main Road who are set to lose parts of their properties to road widening are up in arms after Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) issued a draft notification for land acquisition on June 18. The civic body in its notification has listed names of owners in Records of Rights, Tenancy and Crops (RTC), that are not updated for decades now, even as the property ownership has changed several hands now. Significantly, BBMP itself had issued notices to the present owners for road widening in 2017, acknowledging their ownership. H.M. Chandrashekhar, who bought a plot and built a residence off the road in 1987, is now shocked to see his part of the plot and building in survey number 191 of Hoodi village marked for acquisition and the owner listed as Nagappa, who was the owner of the said land as per RTC last updated in 1968. When he bought the land in 1987, Nagappa was not its owner. Another property owner, Venkatesh Reddy, had his house built on part of his ancestral land (survey no 192/1) in 1999, but the notice now lists his great-grandfather, Dodda Tayappa Reddy, who died over half a century ago, as the owner of the land. So is the tale of many other property owners in the area. Moreover, as the road has seen extensive development on either side, the draft notification lists the status of the land as empty, as per RTCs. 'The BBMP is doing this deliberately to cut out our rights as legitimate property owners to even fair compensation. Back in 2017, BBMP wanted to widen this road by 1.5 metres on either side and served us notices for acquisition. They agreed to compensate us with ₹18,197 per sq. ft as per the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition (Rehabilitation and Resettlement) Act, 2013. But it was not pursued. Now the draft notification doesn't even name us as owners, when we have A Khata, paying taxes etc and BBMP itself had acknowledged us before,' rued Mr. Chandrashekhar. Concerns over 'TDR scam' In an objection to the draft notification filed by the property owners, they raise concerns that this move by civic officials may lead to a 'TDR scam' where bogus land owners are provided Transferrable Development Rights (TDR). 'This notification is done in haste to benefit a few vested interests and also to repeat the TDR scam reported earlier, where officials have been accused of making wrongful gains by issuing notifications in the names of bogus land owners and thereby granting TDR illegally,' the objection read. There have been earlier instances where bogus land owners were issued TDRs, and the cases of the same are being probed by the Karnataka Lokayukta and the Directorate of Enforcement (ED). ED had raided multiple locations in the city in the last week of May in connection with the TDR scam. Property owners have demanded that the draft notification be immediately cancelled and a fresh notification be issued with the names of existing owners listed. Property owners are also mulling over complaining to the Karnataka Lokayukta over the same. However, Chief Civic Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao told The Hindu that the notification was only a draft and property owners can make their claims in response to it and their claims will be considered while issuing a final notification. Property owners have 30 days time from June 18 to make their claims and submit objections. 'Not updating revenue records a problem' Real estate industry insiders said that not updating revenue records in the city for decades now was a festering problem in having clear land titles. 'The last city survey where RTCs were converted to urban records has only covered the old core city and contradicting ownership records is a problem in all areas beyond the core. What the civic body has done, going by revenue records, is per se legally not wrong and that is a larger problem,' said a prominent builder who did not wish to be named.
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Rs 12,000 crore fuels Shakti's 2-Year smooth run in Karnataka
Bengaluru: Shakti scheme — which offers free bus travel for women and the first among the five guarantee schemes introduced by the Congress govt after coming to power two years ago — has seen over 475 crore tickets issued under the scheme and significantly boosted public road transport ridership from 85 lakh daily passengers to a shade over 1 crore. BMTC leads the table, having issued over 150 crore tickets, closely followed by KSRTC with 140 crore. The four transport corporations — BMTC, KSRTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC — collectively spent Rs 12,000 crore to implement the scheme. Marking the scheme's second anniversary, a senior official involved in its implementation said that the Shakti scheme came as a major relief for road transport corporations (RTCs), which suffered immensely during the pandemic. "The increase in patronage and optimal utilisation of vehicles benefitted RTCs. The four RTCs in the state operate a fleet of 24,500 buses, of which women can travel free on 20,500. There are no distance restrictions — for instance, women can travel between Bidar and Bengaluru (approximately 700 km) on ordinary services free of cost. Additionally, RTCs are not passing toll charges onto women when they travel on toll roads." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Pinga-Pinga e HBP? Tome isso 1x ao dia se tem mais de 40 anos Portal Saúde do Homem Clique aqui Undo The official noted that the scheme especially helped women in rural areas and low-income groups in urban areas. "It enabled many women to explore job opportunities and use the money saved on travel for other essential expenses, including children's education," the official added. According to him, compared with other states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, and Delhi where similar free bus travel schemes exist, Karnataka has performed better in execution. Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy said, "Over the past two years, the scheme enjoyed consistent patronage, indicating its widespread acceptance. While the state govt still owes Rs 2,000 crore in reimbursements under the scheme, it helped RTCs raise a Rs 2,000 crore loan to clear pending arrears related to provident fund, gratuity, and other employee dues. The principal and interest on the loan are being borne by the state govt. Moreover, support is being extended for the induction of 2,000 new buses." The minister added that the total outstanding liability of the transport corporations stands at Rs 4,000 crore, primarily due to mismanagement by the previous BJP govt. "This financial burden accumulated over the years. However, compared to RTCs in other states — Delhi, for example, has a liability exceeding Rs 59,000 crore — Karnataka's RTCs are in a relatively stronger financial position," he said. At the time of launching the Shakti scheme, the state govt announced plans to issue dedicated smart cards to beneficiaries. However, even after two years, smart cards have not been introduced. "Currently, the system of verifying beneficiaries using Aadhaar cards is functioning well. Nevertheless, steps will be taken to implement separate smart cards for women availing the scheme," the minister said. ———- 1CR TRAVERL DAILY * BMTC, KSRTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC collectively spent Rs 12,000 crore on scheme in 2 yrs * Four RTCs operate 24,500 buses, and women can travel free on 20,500 * No distance barriers for women travellers * Daily ridership on these buses has improved from 85 lakh to a little over 1 crore
Time of India
31-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
File FIR against power station related to land mortgage in Kabini: MLA
Mysuru: HD Kote MLA Anil Chikkamadu instructed officials to file an FIR against Kabini Subhash Power Station in connection with allegations of obtaining loans by mortgaging govt land in Kabini. The issue was discussed in a Karnataka Development Programmes review meeting held in HD Kote, concerning accusations that the Kolkata-based Subhash Power Station Corporation Limited attempted to illegally acquire govt land within the Kabini reservoir. Following complaints of public outcry about the misuse of govt land from the public and people from various quarters of society, the MLA directed Saragur tahsildar Mohankumari and officials concerned with Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited to look into such complaints. Even though state govt permitted the company to set up the power corporation after providing it land on a 30-year lease, the company is accused of transferring 13 acres into its name. It also obtained necessary khatas, RTCs, and fraudulently borrowed loans from several nationalised and private sector banks. Speaking to TOI, social activist Doreswamy, a retired police officer, accused the previous tahsildar and other revenue department officers of Saragur taluk of allegedly transferring 13 acres belonging to the state irrigation department to this company. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Click Here - This Might Save You From Losing Money Expertinspector Click Here Undo They also issued khata, RTC, and other land records. He demanded state govt and irrigation department order a detailed probe into these allegations. Previous Saragur revenue department officials, including the tahsildar, transferred 13 acres of govt land bearing registration numbers 160, 161, and 162 to this company. Doreswamy said he would continue the legal battle over the issue. Executive engineer of Kabini reservoir, Beechanahalli, Chandarashekhar, said he would verify this complaint and initiate action after discussing the issue with his higher-ups. Senior manager of Subhash Power Station Corporation Limited V Senthilkumar denied such allegations levelled against the company and said they are ready for investigation as they did not commit any wrongdoing. They haven't obtained any loans after mortgaging property belonging to the state irrigation department. The company has also written letters to the state revenue department, local tahsildar, and even irrigation department officials of Kabini reservoir to rectify the error if the company's name is mentioned in RTCs and other land records.
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
52 lakh parcels of agricultural land stillregistered in names of deceased people
Bengaluru: The initiative to integrate records of rights, tenancy, and crops (RTC) of agricultural land statewide has revealed that more than 52 lakh land parcels remain registered to deceased revenue department has initiated ' Pauti Khata ', a programme to facilitate transfer of land records to rightful heirs. The department had initially planned a statewide launch but opted instead to begin with Gadag district as a pilot programme. With the pilot being successfully concluded, the department has rolled out the process across the accountants are tasked with contacting individual landowners to link their Aadhaar with RTCs. It uses specially developed software for the purpose. Of the 3.5 crore landowners who were contacted, only 2.3 crore parcels were successfully linked with commissioner P Sunil Kumar said 1.2 crore parcels remain unlinked, 52 lakh are still registered to deceased owners and 70 lakh properties are being unlawfully used for non-agricultural said 'Pauti Khata' is a significant effort by the govt to update land records. Village accountants go door-to-door to gather information, verify claims of ownership through family trees, and publicly display claimant names in villages to ensure transparency."There are several properties in the possession of the second and third generation of deceased persons," an official said. "There are chances that some people will provide false information to avoid giving women a share of their inheritance. The aim of publishing the list in villages is to spread awareness and we hope other legitimate shareholders will approach officials concerned to claim their share. If there are no disputes, we transfer records to rightful heirs, but if there are disputes, we will mention 'pauti pending' in records."Revenue officials say this initiative aims to combat corruption in heir documentation, reduce visits to local and taluk offices, save farmers' time, and streamline land ownership transfers. Additionally, it helps prevent future inheritance disputes among heirs.
The Hindu
10-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Karnataka CM to inaugurate new district office complex and indoor stadium in Mangaluru on May 16: Dinesh Gundu Rao
Dakshina Kannada district in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Saturday (May 10, 2025) said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will inaugurate the new district office complex at Padil and the state-of-the-art indoor stadium at Urva on May 16. Speaking to reporters after a meeting to review the preparations for the two events here, Mr. Rao said the new district office complex was expected to significantly improve delivery of government services to people. It was also expected to streamline the administration by bringing important district-level offices under one roof, the Minister said. During the formal inaugural programme, Mr. Siddaramaiah would distribute record of tenancy certificates (RTCs) to over 7,000 beneficiaries under the 'Phodi-Mukta Abhiyana' being undertaken in the district to set right land records pertaining to darkasth lands, he added. Enabling citizen-centric service Mr. Rao noted that the foundation stone for the district office complex was laid by Mr. Siddaramaiah when he was the chief minister during his first term. While the complex, estimated to cost ₹55 crore, should have been inaugurated long ago, its construction got delayed entailing an additional expenditure of ₹20 crore. The additional expenditure was borne by Mangaluru Smart City Ltd., he added. The Minister said the new complex reflects government's commitment towards efficient service delivery and citizen-centric service. The complex would accommodate 23 departments under one roof, he said. Promoting sports culture Mr. Rao said the Urva indoor stadium built at a cost of ₹35 crore by MSCL, was equipped with modern facilities to conduct various sports and indoor events. The stadium was expected to promote sports culture and provide quality training infrastructure to local talent, he said. Identified offices would be shifted to the new district office complex the day after the inauguration and the process will be completed within about three weeks. Mr. Siddaramaiah was also expected to launch several development programmes for Ullal taluk during his visit. However, Mangaluru MLA and Legislative Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader wanted to move the event to some other day, Mr. Rao added. MLCs Ivan D'Souza, S.L. Boje Gowda and others were present at the press conference.
