Concerns over Karnataka government’s Rs 1,500 crore land deal in Bengaluru, complaint filed before PMO

The ruling BJP government in Karnataka is facing a setback after a complaint was filed against it before the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the Governor’s office related to a land deal worth Rs 1,500 crore in Bengaluru.

The complaint has been lodged by Dr Raghavendra SR who is the State President for Human Rights Protection and Corruption Eradication Forum. He was quoted by IANS as saying that the ruling BJP government is all set to “handover 75 acres of land to private parties with vested interests”.

The contentious piece of land belongs to Jakkur Aerodrome which is located in the heart of Bengaluru city on the Bengaluru International Airport road. The Jakkur Aerodrome has 221 acres of land. This was donated by the erstwhile Mysuru Maharajas for affordable pilot training. 

Dr Raghavendra has alleged that the “Karnataka Sports Ministry hell-bent on continuing aircraft landings and take-offs, merely to favour Public Private Partnership (PPP) for commercial project in 50 acres and an aero-club in 25 acres with private parties".

“Apart from huge loss to the state exchequer, the lives of thousands of people residing in the vicinity of Jakkur Aerodrome will come under grave danger if such a move is implemented,” he elaborated.

"The training-aircraft crash on July 18 was hushed up by the Jakkur flying school and is under investigation by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Jakkur aerodrome is unfit for any aircraft landing," the complainant added.

Despite the “looming danger” to the lives of thousands of people living in the vicinity of the aerodrome, its authority, which is under the Sports Ministry, is “hell-bent on continuing the operations of the aerodrome”, he alleged.

"In January 2014, the elevated corridor over NH 44 was constructed to improve the connectivity between the Bangalore city-centre and  the Kempegowda International Airport.

"The elevated corridor (flyover), over 12 metres (39 feet) high, constructed immediately at west side of the runway at Jakkur Flying School shortens the effective length of the runway from 950 metres to 450 metres, therefore making aircraft-landings at Jakkur Aerodrome, unsafe," Raghavendra claimed.

"The required land cannot be acquired even though the decision was taken to extend the runway to the east. Other attempts to acquire private land to extend the runway also couldn’t materialise," he said.

"In November 2019, the Director of the government flying school eventually dropped the idea of consented acquisition as per directions of the court. Therefore, at present, the Jakkur flying school cannot extend the runway due to the inability of acquiring additional land to the east," he added.

The said land, which is to the east, has been developed as villa townships like Sobha Emerald, with all necessary approvals and NoC from Jakkur Flying School, it was reported. The township has been fully occupied for over 15 years.

"If extended by 170 metres, the runway would extend into existing developments, endangering inhabitants. Hence, it is impossible to extend the runway to the east considering all the present developments in the neighbourhood," Raghavendra elaborated.

He further said that the airport line of Bangalore Metro (BMRCL) has been finalised to run alongside the elevated express corridor bordering to the west of the Jakkur flying school. NoC for this was issued by Jakkur Flying School on September 3, 2021, he added, asserting that this further decreases the effective length of the runway from 450 metres to 350 metres, making it impossible for safe landings of aircraft.

"Despite residents of Shobha Emerald apartments built right next to Jakkur Aerodrome lodging an official complaint regarding danger to their lives, the Jakkur Flying School continues to operate for training purposes with inadequate runway, knowingly exposing the lives of trainee pilots and the residents in the vicinity to grave danger," he said.

The effort of reviving the flying school by "endangering the lives of a large community residing in the vicinity is irrational and life threatening. Hence, the operations of Jakkur Flying School should be stopped immediately," the complainant demanded.

He referred to an aircraft crash on July 18, claiming that the aircraft missed Shobha Emerald villas by a few metres, and saying that many lives would have been lost on that day.

"The Jakkur Flying School tried to hush up this incident, which the DGCA is currently investigating. This further strengthens the fact that the aerodrome should not continue to operate and should be immediately closed," Dr Raghavendra concluded.

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(With inputs from IANS)