Bengaluru: District officials have claimed that they have till date not handed over the Dollars Colony land in JP Nagar to BDA and have decided to issue notices to the residents through the tashildar, who, according to reports is in the process of preparing the same.

Meanwhile, local residents have rubbished all reports of Dollars Colony being illegal.“This is a 100 percent legal colony. We have all the documents in place. We are unnecessarily being painted as having encroached on the land,” said KV Bhat, who represents the Residents’ Welfare Association of Dollars Colony, JP Nagar. The residents’ assertion of their ownership is based on several government documents, wherein the BDA has obtained the approval of the State government to convert the land into a residential layout.

The records according to the deccan herald, which first reported the story, include the State government approval for the residential layout on June 9, 1994. It was issued by the then under secretary to the government, Housing and Town Planning Department. The government order states that as per the map sent by the BDA, the government has agreed to convert survey number 167 of Bilekahalli village (which measures 56 acres and 34 guntas), from “Park and Open Spaces” to residential layout.

Revenue dept claims land belongs to them
The Revenue department’s claims that they have not given the land to the BDA in the first place and any further assent by the government to convert the land to residential layout does not hold good on this account. As per entries in the RTC document (Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops), the land is still as Lingannana Kere itself.

“The ownership lies with the Revenue department. We are the custodian of the land. We will seek a report on this by BDA,” a top official said.

According to sources, district authorities have also decided to take possession of civic amenities sites, playgrounds and parks in the locality lest the BDA take it over and convert it into layouts.