Mysore/Mysuru: In an early morning ‘Operation Demolition,’ the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) today reclaimed over 2 acres of encroached prime land in Ramakrishnanagar, said to be worth about Rs. 50 crore.

This is learnt to be one of the biggest land encroachment clearance drives so far this year.

The then CITB in 1986-87 had acquired (Acquisition Notification No. 4161) a little over 2 acres including 1 acre and 28 guntas of land coming under Dattagalli  Survey No. 26/1 and 27 guntas coming under Survey No. 28/2B, located opposite the current Ramakrishnanagar Sub-Registrar Office and the adjacent MUDA Complex near Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Circle, for formation of Dattagalli II Stage Residential Layout.

The land was acquired from the land owner Chikkaravanappa (now late) and compensation was paid to him then.

But  over the years, some persons, taking advantage of MUDA’s failure to secure its acquired land with fence, built unauthorised sheds and such other structures in most part of the land and stayed in them.

Armed with all the acquisition documents and other supporting records, the MUDA authorities, led by MUDA Commissioner Dr. D.B. Natesh, went to the spot early this morning and demolished the unauthorised sheds and other structures and reclaimed the entire land (a little over 2 acres) that was encroached upon.

Even as the MUDA authorities started their demolition operation, the residents entered into a verbal argument with the authorities claiming that about 45 people had ‘purchased sites’ in the area after entering into an unregistered agreement with the original owner Chikkaravanappa on stamp papers in 1985-86 itself. But they reportedly backtracked after the authorities convinced them that the land indeed belonged to MUDA and they had encroached upon it by building sheds.

Subsequently, the MUDA authorities with the help of 4 JCBs and 8 tippers, demolished the sheds and reclaimed the land, which is now estimated at about Rs.50 crore.

MUDA Superintending Engineer (SE) Shankar, Executive Engineers (EEs) Sunil and Mohan, Assistant EEs Nagesh, Kiran, Shivanna and Mahesh, Special Land Acquisition Officer Harsha and other officials supervised the operation, with the jurisdictional Kuvempunagar Police providing security.

Since Dr. Natesh took over as Commissioner about two years ago, the MUDA has reclaimed/resumed 60-70 acres of encroached land, 120 sites and other properties across the city, totally estimated at about Rs. 700 crore as per the prevalent market value.