80-crore R&D centre for Wipro in muddy waters now
The high court on Wednesday annulled the February 2012 final notification issued by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) relating to five acres of land in Mogarahalli village, Belagola Hobli, Srirangapatna, near Mysore.
This land was a part of 99.23 acres acquired for Wipro’s Rs 80-crore R&D (Research and Development) centre. Justice AS Bopanna remanded the matter back to the land acquisition officer (LAO) for fresh consideration. This was done after a batch of petitions was filed by the landowner BL Jagadish and those who bought sites from him.
The court also asked the petitioners to appear before the officer on September 5. It further made the endorsement void which was issued by KIADB to the site owners on November 29, 2011. The judge noted that there are no records to show spot inspection was done in the presence of the petitioners.
The judge also stated that KIADB didn’t provide site owners the opportunity to be heard of hearing, even though it was well aware that they had purchased the sites.
Jagadish had purchased the land in 1986 and converted it for non-agricultural purposes a decade later. He mentioned that the KIADB didn’t consider his objections in a proper manner. The petitioners, who bought the sites from Jagadish in 1996, were upset as KIADB had issued an endorsement which had kept them out of the entire proceedings. KIADB stated that since they weren’t parties in party to the original proceedings, they needn’t be heard.
Source- The Times of India
Belagola Hobli, Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board, KIADB, land acquisition officer, land in Mogarahalli village, Srirangapatna
