HC dismisses Purvankara plea

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition filed by Puravankara Projects Ltd questioning the acquisition of its land on Old Madras Road in Bangalore for the on-going Metro Rail project.

In the petition, the company stated that it had purchased 234,489 sq ft of land on survey number 1-15 at Binnamangala on Old Madras Road in 2003 from private parties.

The land was acquired by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) on January 17, 2006, after it was declared an industrial area, and was subsequently handed over to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.

Puravankara Projects opposed it stating the land has been identified as a 'residential area' in the Bangalore Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) and not as an 'industrial area' as claimed by the KIADB.

However, the single-bench judge Justice Ashok B Hinchigari cited the Supreme Court judgement in the Poorna Prajna House Building Cooperative Society case and dismissed Puravankara's petition stating: "Subsequent purchasers have no right to challenge the acquisition proceedings."