The petitions committee of the state assembly on Thursday gave Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) 12 months to complete the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout (NPKL) project. This is after the agency pleaded for more time to wrap up work on various amenities.
The 16-member committee led by deputy speaker Rudrappa Manappa Lamani made the concession after BDA commissioner G Kumar Naik and his team said they can provide seamless connectivity of underground drainage and drinking water connection only if all land acquisition cases pending before the high court are settled. The court, they said, is expected to deliver the judgment any day, and they would need a few months to take up infrastructure work after that.
The committee expressed dissatisfaction over BDA delaying completion of work at the 4,040-acre layout that is coming up between Mysuru Road and Magadi Road. Lamani expressed displeasure over the fact that BDA had been seeking extension after extension though the allotments were made about eight years ago.
Senior member S Suresh Kumar said there were 10,000 primary allottees, most of whom wanted to build their homes, but the layout lacked basic infrastructure.
BDA’s delay has come as a double whammy to allottees as most were paying rents for their present homes as well as interest on bank loans. NPKL falls under Yeshwantpur constituency, represented in the assembly by ST Somashekar. He pointed to BDA delaying payment of compensation to farmers who parted with land for the layout.
At NPKL, BDA has completed acquisition of 2,600 acres since 2010 and did the first round of allotment of 5,000 sites in 2016. The second round happened two years later. Acquisition of 1,300 acres is still pending, NPKL Open Forum joint secretary AS Surya Kiran said. BDA, he said, was violating guidelines of National Green Tribunal by leaving no space for parks.
Ashok M, an allottee, said: “I bought my land in 2018, but I am still not able to build my house. Interest loans have become a huge burden. It was said the layout will be a modern one with underground connections, but I see no signs of that.”
