CH NEWS, BENGALURU
State authorities in the Anekal taluk have launched a rigorous crackdown following brazen attempts by land grabbers to illegally occupy government Gomala lands and adjacent water bodies through systematic waste dumping. The enforcement action, which resulted in multiple vehicle seizures and formal criminal complaints, highlights the growing crisis of unauthorized real estate expansion and environmental degradation on the rapidly developing urban periphery of Bengaluru.
The flashpoint for the controversy centers on survey number 20 in Vaderahalli village, situated near the industrial and residential hub of Jigani. This specific tract encompasses roughly two acres and fourteen guntas of designated government Gomala land—pastureland traditionally reserved for community livestock. Decades ago, the area served as a localized stone-mining quarry, leaving behind a massive, hundred-and-fifty-foot-deep excavation pit. Rather than being restored or protected, this deep basin became the target of a calculated illegal land-filling operation orchestrated by local land speculators seeking to level the terrain for future commercial gains.
According to investigative reports filed by the district administration, perpetrators began deploying heavy commercial transport to dump hundreds of loads of solid waste, construction debris, and excavated earth into the deep quarry pit. The covert operation was designed to artificially elevate the land level, effectively masking the deep trench and transforming the rough terrain into buildable plots. Furthermore, investigators discovered that the encroachment syndicate had expanded its illegal operations to target an adjoining four-acre-and-fifteen-gunta lakebed. Solid waste and construction rubble were systematically pushed into the water body’s perimeter, shrinking its natural catchment area and threatening local hydrological balance.
Acting on confidential intelligence regarding the unauthorized dumping, a revenue enforcement team led by Jigani Sub-Tahsildar Chaitra and in-charge Revenue Inspector Laxmikant conducted a surprise physical inspection of the site. Upon arriving at the location, officials caught heavy machinery and transport vehicles red-handed in the act of unloading debris. The raiding party successfully seized four heavy-duty lorries and a tractor utilized in the operation, identifying a local individual named Rajesh, also known as Venkatesh, as the primary coordinator behind the land-covering scheme.
