By John B Monteiro
Mangaluru, Mar 19: Harinath, a veteran corporater and civic activist, started off his term, in March 2016, as the latest Mayor of Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) on a high note of Mangaluru being rated the third cleanest city in India. While this might enthuse him to keep up the good work and build on it, he must be acutely aware of the handicaps of the elected representatives of MCC in the face of entrenched babus of MCC and at the district and taluk administration levels as reflected in one outstanding instance wherein the permanent babus stumped the elected people’s representative – Harinath in this case. This relates to a case known as Bondel Maidan acquisition by MCC for public purpose, going back to the turn of the latest millennium. But, first the background.
File Photo
What was once Bondel Maidan was situated midway between Bondel Church and Bondel Junction, to the east of Airport Road and bordering the MGC (Mahatma Gandhi Centenary) Memorial High School to the east. Now plotted out for individual residential building construction, Bondel Maidan was well-known for long and widely used by the locals, at least from 1971 when MGC came on the scene. It had been used as a public Maidan for 30 years. Three schools in the neibhourhood – MGC, St. Lawrence Church School, and later, Vivekananada School (now merged with MGC) – had been using this maidan for sports, athletics and related functions.
Several local cricket clubs had been using Bondel Maidan for play and inter-club matches. Some important St Lawrence Church functions were being traditionally held on this maidan. Residents of Bondel and areas up to Kavoor in the north, Yeyyadi on the south and Pachanady/ Acchukody to the east used Bondel Maidan for morning/evening walks. Bondel Laughter Club held its morning sessions on this Maidan. It was also used by some to practice motor/scooter driving. There was a felt need for having a walkers’ track, a children’s park and a senior citizens’s park. One of the outstanding aspects of using Bondel Maidan was that different entities had harmoniously used the maidan without any conflict about timing and space. It was said to have been owned by a bed-ridden old lady in Bangalore, with a local Mangalurean holding Power-of-Attorney for it.
Under Town and Country Planning Act, there had to be reservation of 15% of land in a planning zone for recreational purposes such as playgrounds and parks. However, north of Kadri Park and Padua High School grounds at Nanthoor, there was (is) no public park or playground within MCC limits stretching up to Gurpur (Falguni) River on the Airport Road. It was the duty of MCC and Mangalore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) to proactively reserve Bondel Maidan for Public/Semi-Public purposes. MUDA did not do it in its 1992 Town Planning Scheme and also in the revised scheme a decade later. In the meantime, because of the absentee owner, the users of the maidan were unaware of the true ownership status of the maidan. They had been badly let down by MCC and MUDA by not doing their statutory duty by converting a de facto public maidan into de jure public maidan. Consequently, the residents of Bondel lost a maidan, through de-notification, a maidan which they had been using and enjoying for 30 years.
It may be recalled that large swathes of land in Bondel held by original residents were acquired by the government to construct government quarters, housing board colonies, Kudremukh Colony and KEB Colony. It was, therefore, not only legal obligation but also moral obligation as well for MCC, MUDA and the State government to secure Bondel Maidan for public purpose through reservation/acquisition route. Even as the maidan users were agitating to have the maidan reserved for public purposes and MCC School was trying to purchase the plot and was negotiating the price, the government de-notified the maidan which was then plotted out and sold for prospective builders.
How does de-notification come in the picture? Enter the scene Harinath. Then an enthusiastic and earnest corporater from the area and Deputy Mayor of MCC, Harinath, now the new Mayor, moved the corporation to acquire the maidan for public purposes for a compensation of about Rs five lakhs, a quarter of the amount was already advanced as deposit to the government. But, the government, which means corporation and government babus, dragged their feet over progressing the matter. The subject was raised in the corporation meetings several times and covered in the print media.
They say that for the want of a nail a kingdom was lost. The Achilles Heel in this case was the exact measurement of the maidan. It was supposed to be 1.5 acres, plus or minus 5 cents. But for a land transaction and ownership records, the measurement has to be made and certified by Assistant Director Land Records (ADLR). The action was to be done through the tahsildar of Mangaluru whose name on my records is N Thannirbhavi to whom I had written, fronting Save Bondel Maidan Andolan Samithi, on January 12, 2004 as follows:
"The above Survey No (12 A of Pachanadi Village), popularly known as Bondel Maidan, is subject of acquisition process by MCC. Our Samithi is in the forefront of the struggle to expedite this process.
However, the acquisition process is stalled because of the failure of your office to incorporate certain changes in the RTC. This fact has been highlighted in the attached press clipping and has also been widely reported in the media in December 2003. Despite this, your office seems to have taken no cognisance of the matter. According to Corporation sources, the matter is pending in your office for over one year, despite their reminders. We request you to look into the matter personally and incorporate the change in the RTC or let us know why the action is not taken, so that we can move the matter through other avenues."
There are wheels within wheels and the babus and netas in power sabotaged the whole acquisition process by the simple device of non-action, leaving Harinath and the local supporters of the acquisition high and dry to lick their wounds.
Post-script
A similar drama is now unfolding on a larger canvas regarding a 10-acre plot in the midst of the government housing colony, and close to Harinath’s residence. The land is valued at about Rs 200 crores. It has been brought to its present state of usefulness by private initiative. It can be developed into a multi-purpose stadium for the use of locals. But, covetous eyes of cricket lobbies have fallen on it to construct a gated stadium exclusively for cricket – shutting the locals out. It is to be hoped that the new mayor takes proactive initiative and restores the maidan for the locals.
Veteran journalist and author, John B Monteiro now concentrates on Editorial Consultancy, having recently edited the autobiography of a senior advocate, history and souvenir to mark the centenary of Catholic Association of South Kanara and currently working on the history/souvenir to mark the platinum jubilee of Kanara Chamber of Commerce & Industry.