MDA reclaims land worth Rs. 15 crore

Family claims ancestral rights over 15,000 sq.ft; cites MCC e-Khata, tax receipts & Court orders

Mysuru: Mysuru Development Authority (MDA) officials, accompanied by Police, used earthmovers in an early morning eviction drive today to reclaim a prime property in Sharadadevinagar, valued at around Rs. 15 crore.

The 15,000 sq. ft. property is located in Survey No. 167/1 at Bogadi, near Sharadadevinagar. Sheds, walls and temporary structures were demolished and a board declaring the land as MDA property was put up.

The family living on the land, however, claimed it was their ancestral property and said, they had documents to establish ownership, including an e-Khata issued by Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), tax-paid receipts, electricity bills and Court orders.

A team, led by MDA Superintending Engineer K.R. Mahesh, carried out the drive. He said, the disputed land was part of a larger property handed over to erstwhile City Improvement Trust Board (CITB) under a mutual settlement agreement in 1987.

Of the total two acres and eight guntas, the erstwhile Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) had allotted one acre and 12 guntas for residential development, he said.

The remaining 36 guntas in Survey No. 167/1 included a sheet-roofed house built by Shanthamma without authorisation on 2½ guntas and a shed occupying another 12½ guntas. The remaining 21 guntas, including a road portion, is vacant.

A Khata had also been obtained from the MCC for the 2½ guntas on which the unauthorised sheet-roofed house stood, Mahesh said.

Rs. 44,000 compensation in 1984

Mahesh said, compensation of Rs. 44,000 had been paid to land owner Shivalingaiah on Oct. 12, 1984. Officials alleged that five houses built by Shanthamma had encroached upon around 15,000 sq. ft. of land, now valued at nearly Rs. 15 crore.

The occupants had recently demolished the old houses, which had mud walls, after obtaining MCC permission, reportedly citing their dilapidated condition and leakage. The family had secured an e-Khata and was preparing to build new houses on the site, officials said.

Mahesh said that the MDA has submitted a representation to the MCC seeking cancellation of the e-Khata.

Family disputes MDA claim

Bhagyamma, Shanthamma’s daughter-in-law, disputed the MDA’s claim, saying the original property measured one acre and 20 guntas and belonged to Lakshmamma and Thimmaiah.

After their death, the property was transferred to Shanthamma through a succession-based mutation process (Pouthi Khata). The RTC, Mutation Records (MR) and other revenue documents still bear her name, Bhagyamma said.

Shanthamma had three sons, and the property was later divided among them through Court-directed partition proceedings, the family said. While portions of the larger property were sold over the years, the disputed 15,000 sq. ft. remained with the family, they claimed.

Family cites ownership documents

Bhagyamma said, the family built five houses on the site in 2009. They considered the adjoining ‘kharab’ portions part of their holding, she said. The family said, it had obtained Khata documents from the MCC, paid property taxes regularly, secured electricity connections and later obtained an e-Khata.

They alleged that the MDA launched eviction proceedings without prior notice, despite the family having obtained MCC permission to demolish the old structures and build a new house.

The family also cited a Court order in an earlier partition dispute, which they said had allotted the land to Shanthamma. They claimed to have Court orders, RTC records, mutation extracts, tax receipts and Khata documents to support their ownership claim.

They also denied receiving Rs. 44,000 compensation cited by the MDA. While land had been given for the construction of three roads in the area, the family maintained that it had never accepted any compensation.