E City Phase IV Land acquisition: Court not in favor
Highlighted as India’s largest electronic industrial park, Electronic City is again in the news as High Court quashed its acquisition of land for the formation of Phase IV. The proposed expansion of the E City was bogged down, as the court annulled the acquisition of 224 acres of land by KIADB.
According to the court, the land proposed for acquisition was not adjacent to the rest of the phases (Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3) as confirmed by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board. Hence, the acquisition was termed as “ arbitrary” by the court. In tune with the court’s order, E City phase IV will now encompass an area of 39 acres, instead of the previously notified area of 224 acres.
EC Phase IV-Past and Present
The notified area for acquisition of land by KIADB stood at 138 acres in 2007, however, it was later scaled down to 48 acres and 23 guntas, including 8 acres that was annulled by the court. According to the court, KIADB is required to bear out that the proposed land for acquisition is equivalent to the size of any of the phases (Phase I, Phase II or Phase III) of Electronic City and not just any new industrial unit.
Going by the market news, the area allotted for Phase-IV has shrunk down at regular intervals due to a number of reasons. Change of land utilization by the Bangalore Development Authority, the presence of a tank in the land allotted, procurement of some land by the BDA and crossing out of any particular area on government’s order due to a lag in the acquisition are the few primary reasons for reduction in land size.
Land and landowners
In a move to make Bangalore the Silicon Valley of the nation, the concept of Electronic City was developed for which the government had initially procured huge acres of land. 370 acres, 340 acres and 100 acres of land have been acquired for Phase I, Phase II and Phase III respectively. To expand the horizons of the E City, the government issued a notification in 2003 to procure 224 acres 33 guntas for Phase IV. The land in question is located in Veerasandra and neighbouring villages of Attibele hobli.
According to market news, few landowners have signed off on voluntary surrendering of land and getting compensation for the same. Referring to the individuals who have done away with their land, the court confirmed that the acquisition proceedings, which are set at naught, would not impair the state to make necessary accommodation for such allottees.
