CITY www.bangaloremirror.
com/city
BSY’s maya: Ex-MLA’s site
goes to sacked minister
S M Muniyappa threatens to commit suicide after a site that was almost allotted
to him has been given to rape-accused Hartal Halappa on Yeddyurappa’s orders
S
Atul Chaturvedi
atul.chaturvedi2@timesgroup.com
M Muniyappa, the 56-year-old former
Congress legislator from
Chikkaballapur is an angry, helpless
man. He was allotted a G Category
site in 2004, but just when he was about to
enjoy the fruits of the land, he learnt that the
allotment was in the process of being can-
celled. In an ironic twist, Muniyappa’s site is
now being handed over to Hartal Halappa,
who recently resigned as minister in the
Yeddyurappa government following rape
charges levelled against him.
Pushed to the wall, Muniyappa has threat-
ened to consume poison in front of the chief
minister’s house if his site is allotted to any-
one else. He has also accused BDA officials of
being corrupt. “The speed with which BDA
officials set about cancelling my 50x80 site
(No 3285 in HAL II Stage) and re-allotting it to
Halappa is amazing. It was all done in just a
couple of hours on Friday. It shows how cor-
ruption and favouritism in the BDA have
touched new heights,” Muniyappa said.
Muniyappa has ticked off BDA commis-
sioner Bharat Lal Meena, but it hasn’t got him
SM Muniyappa Hartal Halappa
any closer to owning the site. “I learnt of the
allotment to Halappa at the last minute.
When I questioned Meena on this, he said he
was only carrying out orders from the CM,”
Muniyappa said. “Halappa has already been
allotted a site (number 253/B) in RMV II Stage
two years ago. Why do they want give him the
one in HAL II Stage?” Muniyappa asked.
Muniyappa was allotted a G category (chief
minister’s discretionary quota) site by the BDA
in 2004. But the government changed several
times and Muniyappa’s allotment — only on
paper — gathered dust. He claimed he followed
up with the BDA, but was stonewalled with
suggestions that “the site was yet to be identi-
fied”. Fed up, the former MLA greased a few
palms in the BDA and learnt of vacant sites in
BangaloreMirror
the city. He finally zeroed in on the site in HAL
II Stage and wrote a letter to BDA. “My file was
cleared at various levels and only needed the
commissioner’s signature. At this juncture,
Halappa’s name was included and the allot-
ment was to be made to him on Friday. I got to
know of it and protested,” Muniyappa said.
Muniyappa revealed he had also met
Halappa on Saturday and pleaded with him
not to strip him of the site. “I told Halappa
not to be unjust as he is already in possession
of a site. But, he put the blame on the BDA
officials. The BDA commissioner, in turn,
tells me that the allotment to Halappa can
only be stopped by the CM.’’
Shunted from pillar to post, Muniyappa got
in touch with union minister of state for rail-
ways, K H Muniyappa, and requested him to
direct Meena keep the file aside for some time.
“Now I am waiting to meet the CM. I will tell
him that God will do him no good if he
deprives me of the site. If he remains stubborn,
I will have no choice but to consume poison.”
When contacted Halappa refuted claims
that he had fabricated documents to take over
the site. “In fact, Muniyappa has become a
puppet in the hands of touts who operate in
BDA,” he said.
Jacobson
ib Fiiikkr
C ut iti n
| MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2010 4
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