BENGALURU: Cracking down on the land sharks, the Bengaluru district administration on Saturday initiated a major encroachment eviction drive in various taluks of Bengaluru.
They recovered 14.15 acres of govt land worth Rs 80.69 crores from the encroachers, including six acres of land belonging to the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple. The drive was carried out in Anekal, Bengaluru South, North, East, and Yelahanka taluks, according to revenue officials.

Sources in the Revenue Department revealed to TOI that the drive, led by Bengaluru urban deputy commissioner G Jagadish, was conducted throughout the day.
“The eviction included major encroachment of govt land measuring six acres, on survey no 79 in Neelasandra village under the Kasaba hobli of Bengaluru Urban. The land belonged to the famous Dharmaraya Swamy Temple and was worth about Rs 25 crores. The DC-led team, following the orders of the state govt, evicted encroachers and reclaimed the land,” an official from the Bengaluru Urban DC office said.

The encroachment of land belonging to Dharmaraya Swamy Temple at Neelasandra village escalated into a major controversy with opposition BJP MLC N Ravikumar levelling serious allegations against the state govt in the Legislative Council in July 2024.
Criticising the prolonged delay by the state govt and muzrai department in evicting encroachers of temple land, Ravikumar alleged, “Over 200 plus people encroached on the six acres of land at Neelasandra village belonging to the famous Dharmaraya Swamy Temple.”
Muzrai minister Ramalinga Reddy assured the Legislative Council that he would evict the encroachers after resolving a few legal hurdles by the next session of the state legislature.
“A few of the property owners obtained a stay from the court. However, the state govt appointed a senior counsel to argue the case and get the stay vacated. Subsequently, as per the court’s orders, the district administration evicted encroachment on six acres of land and took possession of the temple land,” a revenue official explained.
Similarly, the officials recovered encroached gundu thopu land, burial grounds, govt pasture (gomala) land, and stormwater drains at Kaggalipura, Halagevaderahalli (Bengaluru South), Kalkere (Jigani), Tigalachowdenahalli (Sarjapur), Gollahalli (Jala), Tarabanahalli (Hesaraghatta), Thirumenahalli (Yelahanka), Alur, and Shivanapura villages (Dasanapura) worth several crores and fenced the reclaimed land.