Hundreds of residential site owners in Bengaluru are facing uncertainty after the Karnataka government issued a final notification to acquire land in Gardens 4 and Sri Krishna Gardens near Kaggalipura on Kanakapura Road for the proposed Peripheral Ring Road 2 (PRR2). The affected residents have appealed to the authorities to reconsider the road alignment, stating that they purchased their sites after verifying official documents and obtaining approvals from the competent authorities.
The acquisition concerns Survey Nos. 112/1 and 112/3. According to the affected site owners, the layouts were outside the alignment specified in the preliminary notification issued in 2005. They said the final notification has now brought their properties within the acquisition area, raising concerns about their investments and plans to construct homes.
Many of the affected buyers belong to middle-income families who invested their lifetime savings in residential plots. Some also took bank loans to purchase the sites, relying on legal opinions and approvals obtained during the transaction.
Site Owners Seek Reconsideration of PRR2 Alignment
Arun Bhaskar, president of the Gardens 4 Site Owners’ Association, said the final notification had affected hundreds of families who purchased plots based on approvals issued by the relevant authorities.
The residents said they were not opposed to infrastructure development but wanted the government to reconsider the proposed alignment to prevent the acquisition of their layouts. They expressed concern that families who followed the prescribed procedures for purchasing land could face financial losses despite having verified the documents.
Hema Srikanth, an employee at the Meteorological Centre, said she purchased a site for her daughter after checking the documents and approvals. She also stated that she had repaid the bank loan taken to purchase the property. According to her, the bank had sanctioned the loan after obtaining a legal opinion.
The situation has raised questions among site owners about the reliability of official approvals when land is subsequently identified for major infrastructure projects.
Residents Question Long Gap Between Notifications
RB Mruthunjaya, a practising advocate at the Karnataka High Court, said buyers had purchased sites after verifying the relevant documents and approvals. He pointed out that the preliminary notification was issued on December 12, 2005, while the final notification came only after a gap of around two decades.
Affected residents have questioned the timing of the final notification and its implications for buyers who made investments based on the earlier alignment.
Nisarga N, an advocate who purchased a site in the layout, said she had taken a bank loan and continued to pay equated monthly instalments (EMIs). She added that notices had been issued to the landowner, but the site owners had not received notices directly from the authorities.
Other families have also expressed concern about the future of their properties. Sundaresh, whose mother purchased a site in the layout, said the acquisition had left the family uncertain about its next steps.
Acquisition Raises Concerns for Residential Buyers
The proposed PRR2 acquisition has highlighted the financial and legal concerns that can arise when residential plots purchased with official approvals are subsequently included in infrastructure development plans.
For buyers, the issue extends beyond the loss of land to the financial commitments made towards property purchases, including loans and long-term savings. The affected residents have urged the authorities to review the alignment and consider the impact on families who purchased sites in the approved layouts.
The outcome could have implications for other residential plot buyers who depend on government approvals and official records while making property investments. For now, the affected site owners are seeking reconsideration of the acquisition decision as their plans to build homes remain uncertain.
