Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter IN THE NAME OF HOMELSS ASHRAYA SITE SCAM, BACK WITH A BANG…

By Firoz.T.Totanawala 

The Bangalore Metro Reporter 

IN THE NAME OF HOMELSS ASHRAYA SITE SCAM, BACK WITH A BANG… 

 Two decades back, the Ashraya Scam had hit the stands. Ashraya scheme, a pet project of the then CM S.Bangarappa to provide sites and houses to the poor, both in urban and rural areas, became a golden hen to many politicians in power. Now, Bangalore is witnessing another Ashraya Scam which is qualitatively and quantitatively worse than the previous Ashraya scam. Many big wigs, officials, real estate people etc. are involved in it. Today, one can get the Ashraya sites by paying 3 to 4 lakh to the racketeers. The Executive Officers of the Taluk Panchayats are also making a fortune in the scam...

 Taluk Panchayats in Bangalore Urban District are granting the Hakku Patras to the beneficiaries of the Ashraya scheme. The Executive Officers of the Taluk Panchayats are issuing the sale deeds to the allottees and are to be registered at the Sub Registrar Offices. Earlier, Tahsildars had to issue sale deeds to the Ashraya Site distributed to the allottees, but now, it is the Taluk Panchayath Executive Officers who are issuing the Hakku Patras to the allottees. 

 A big fraud in Ashraya sites is going on since three years after the MLAs started interfering in the matter. As the Ashraya layout formed have many sites not allotted to anybody, the racketeers first targeted these ‘unallotted’ sites. When these layouts were formed in 1991, there was not much demand as the areas are far from city. In fact, during those days, Ashraya sites allotments were sold between Rs. 25000 to one lakh depending on the location. Now that all these areas have come under Bangalore and command a very good price, there is vast scope for fraud. 

 Three years back, the sites commanded a premium of Rs. 2 to 3 lakhs. Once the payment was made, the revenue officials who were involved used to create records to show that the Ashraya site was allotted in 1991 itself and after the completion of the 25 years of lock-in the sale deeds were given in favour of the purchaser. 

 Now, the Ashraya Scam is back with a bang. Now it is going on at a high speed, thanks to the machinery of the racketeers who have derived ingenious means to make a fortune. Here again, the role of officials in the Taluk Panchayat is conspicuous. The racketeers zero in on a layout and start building records to sell them to innocent people. As they have the backing of few TP officials, they have perfected the art of preparing the Hakku-Patra (Sale Deed) to pass it off as original. Later, they generate a covering letter from the EO to the Sub Registrar for registration of the deeds. As the EO is exempted from personal appearance for registration, the allottee along with two witnesses can very well go to the SR office and register the same. 

 The racketeers also have one or two registration agents among them who will get the registration done without attracting any suspicion by the SR. As the Ashraya sites are given exemption in Stamp Duty and Registration Fee, the SRs do not take much interest in it. If the parties come all alone, the SR could enquire about the site etc. and a mere suspicion on the part of the SR would have spoiled the party of the racketeers. That is why they always engage ‘leading’ agents in SR offices to do the work with much care. 

 Once the sale deed is registered, the racketeers get the khatha done in the TP office with the help of willing officials. The purchasers, the racketeers and the officials will all be happy. When this being the case, no one can expect the fraud to come into open? 

 Even assuming that an original allottee questions the sale deed to other, he will be given the ‘set reply’ that as he had not built the house which is one of the conditions, his site allottment was cancelled. In case the party persists and threatens to approach the higher ups, he will be promised another site in due course and there are not even one in hundred of such cases. There is muscle power also to browbeat anybody who crosses their path. 

 No doubt, the EOs know this racket very well, but have turned the other way allegedly due to the monetary compensation from the racketeers. Even if their signature is forged by the racketeers they keep quite. That will provide a golden opportunity to them to escape the long arms of law on the plea that their signatures were forged! And the minimum prevailing price for getting an Ashraya site is Rs. 3 lakhs to 5 lakhs depending on the location of the site. 

Any comment!