Rs 1 crore legal expenditure for BDA

BANGALORE: With close to 2,600 cases still pending in the lower and higher Courts of the state, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) spends more than one-and-a-half crore every year as a part of their legal expenditure.A source in the authority confirms that BDA has incurred Rs 1.72 crores as legal expenditure during 2010 2011. The legal cell explains that this year there are 984 writ petitions pending in the High Court and 1,621 writ petitions with the lower courts. With the revelations of the Lokayukta Report, the source believes that the case count is bound to go up.The source in the BDA also adds that most cases are related to disputes surrounding the construction of the proposed Arkavathy and Nadaprabhu Kempegowda layouts. While the disputes regarding the allotment of sites at Arkavathy Layout are allegedly settled, there are many cases related to Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout that are yet to be settled.The BDA has planned to develop around 20,000 sites as part of the Arkavathy Layout project. While the formation of the layout is being planned with consultants, 8813 sites have been released.The source also adds that landlords have been pacified with an agreement that gives them 40 per cent relief. Further, the source reveals that those asking for a refund have also been adequately compensated.