MDA reclaims Rs. 140 cr. land

• The seven-acre land was acquired by then MUDA in 1984… 42 years ago
• The property in Vijayanagar 3rd Stage was earmarked for sports complex
• A politician had allegedly made his people squat on the prime land; threatened officials

Mysore/Mysuru: Just a day after Mysuru Taluk Administration cleared encroachments on Mysuru-Ooty Road (NH-766) to reclaim land worth Rs. 25 crore, the Mysuru Development Authority (MDA) officials, early this morning, conducted an encroachment clearance drive and reclaimed 7 acre-land worth Rs. 140 crore at Vijayanagar 3rd Stage.

The land was earlier earmarked for a sports complex, but had been encroached upon. The demolition drive was carried out following the directives from Deputy Commissioner (DC) G. Lakshmikanth Reddy, who is also the MDA Chairman.

The operation began as early as 5.30 am, with MDA officials, along with 50 Police personnel attached to Vijayanagar and Jayalakshmipuram Police Stations, arriving at the spot with earth-movers and demolishing the illegal structures.

Unsecured property

After clearing the encroachments till 9.30 am, the MDA officials secured the land by fencing the entire 7-acre land.

Shockingly, erstwhile Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), which acquired the land 42 years back, had not secured the property for the reasons best known to it.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, MDA Commissioner K.R. Rakshith said, “The land acquisition process of the said property had been completed in 1984, with MUDA releasing the compensation amount to the original land owners. After being informed about the encroachment, we verified our documents and found that the land belonged to MDA and decided to reclaim it.”

Officials threatened

MDA Commissioner Rakshith also mentioned that MDA officials, who approached the land to clear the encroachments, had been threatened on several occasions by the squatters. The squatters, he said, let their cows and oxen out of their sheds, making it difficult for the officials to enter the property.

“MDA has decided to change the purpose for which the land was acquired, as sports complex had no potential in the area. We will ensure that the change of purpose will be implemented immediately to prevent further encroachments,” he added.

High drama at the site

The encroachment clearance drive witnessed tense moments as members of a family, who claimed to be the land owners, created high drama, opposing the drive.

As soon as the MDA officials arrived at the spot, the family members threatened to commit suicide by consuming poison and also lay down in front of the earth-movers, daring the officials move them out of the land.

Later, the Police personnel, who were at the spot, took them into custody, preventing them from taking extreme steps and obstructing the officials from discharging their duties.

Involvement of a politician?

According to highly placed sources, a politician, who is believed to be behind the encroachment of this prime land, had allegedly hired some squatters to take illegal possession of the valuable land by building sheds and rearing over a dozen cows.

MDA Secretary K. Johnson, Executive Engineers (EEs) Nagesh and Mahesh, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) Sunitha, Land Acquisition staff Sachin and others were present.

Vijayanagar Police Inspector S.D. Suresh Kumar provided Police security during the eviction drive.