Civic body takes on developers

The Hubli-Dharwad Urban Development Authority (HDUDA), which has decided to take on the illegal land developers, has set up a task force to identify illegal layouts and demolish structures that have come up on such lands in the twin cities.

The task force comprises officials from revenue, police and HDUDA. It has been empowered to attach illegal layouts and develop them as sites for the economically weaker sections (EWS). The assistant commissioner will be the head of the task force.

HDUDA chairman Lingaraj Patil, who paid a surprise visit at the weekend to two such layouts that have allegedly come up illegally in Dharwad told reporters that time and again HDUDA has been conducting raids on illegal layouts as the general power of attorney (GPA) holders were not following the HDUDA guidelines before developing the land into layouts. A few GPA holders, who have constructed layouts illegally have been penalised and then have been allowed to convert their land into NA (non-agriculture).

Around 40 per cent of them have still not approached the HDUDA and have paid penalty. Hence, the illegal layout land would be attached to the HDUDA soon, he said.

Patil said, the people before purchasing sites should verify whether the layout is approved by the HDUDA, failing which they will lose their land to the HDUDA.

The HDUDA officials conducted raid on two illegal layouts that have come up at Hosayellapur one belonging to Asha Balsingh and another to Shrikanth Deshpande on six acres each. “Both, without obtaining NA certificate have already designed layouts and have installed marking stones. The HDUDA has seized the marking stones and has issued notice to them,” Patil said.

Interestingly, in the land belonging to Shrikanth Deshpande, already 20 plots have been sold and a temporary shed constructed.

The HDUDA demolished the temporary shed and issued notice to the owner to follow the guidelines. “If the owners neglect the notice and sell the lands, their property would be attached,” Patil warned.

The task force meeting will be held on December 15 where measures to seize the documents possessed by the illegal layout owners would be decided.

The HDUDA has embarked on a new scheme wherein the farmers willing to sell their land can approach the HDUDA and they will be made the stakeholders of the land. The HDUDA will purchase their land and those donating would be made 40 per cent stakeholders, he replied to a query.