Bangalore Development Authority made him wait 26 years, now 2 meetings end 78-year-old man’s wait for home

Bengaluru: For nearly half his life, 78-year-old Krishna Sadananda Thantry carried a thin folder heavy with memories—receipts, orders, hope, and disappointment. For 46 years, he made countless trips to the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) headquarters in Kumara Park, clinging to the hope of finally owning the house built on a 30x40 site gifted to him by a friend. Each visit ended in vain. Recently, resolved to try one last time, he approached the BDA again—and this time, a miracle unfolded. The authority had a change of heart, and the long-awaited sale deed was finally handed over to him.An elated Thantry said: "I never thought there would be some positive development in my case, I'm thankful to BDA commissioner P Manivannan and chairman NA Haris for turning despair into happiness for me."
Thantry's saga began in 1979–80 at the Domlur Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) quarters when he, then a young professional working as an assistant manager at a hotel on MG Road, was allowed by his friend and house owner Samuel to continue stay on the premises and keep it for himself. Samuel had given a general power of attorney (GPA) to Thantry. Subsequently, the latter decided to get the property transferred to his name and made payments to BDA, for which he has receipts. But the process was not smooth and the property was not transferred to his name. The officials cited some rule or the other and complicated everything. Years passed. Children grew up. His elder son went to an engineering college. The family moved from Domlur to Vinayaka Layout. The file, however, did not. Every visit to the BDA meant another desk, another signature, another transfer. "Come next week" became "come next year." And, 26 years slipped by.Life went on around the paperwork and he got exhausted by the circuit of offices. He stopped going. "Everybody wanted a bribe," he said, recalling how often that unspoken demand hovered—sometimes openly, sometimes through hints involving family. He refused. And so the file slept.Recently, with hope nearly gone, someone suggested one final attempt at BDA's Citizen Assistance Cell's Open House Meeting. Thantry walked in without much hope. What he found was a room where the system sat together—officials, the commissioner and the chairman in one platform. Two meetings later, the unimaginable happened. On Jan 29, the sale deed was handed over to him. No intermediaries. No "facilitation." Not a single penny exchanged."I'm 78 years old, and I saw many officers. This was too challenging, but it happened." He paused, then smiled. "They took it on their own and did it," he said. Haris said: "We are doing our best to change the overall outlook of the BDA. The authority is becoming more accessible and result-oriented. The old image must go—that is also what the deputy chief minister wants. What we are doing now is new for a govt system. People approach us both offline and online, and we are resolving issues with immediate settlements wherever possible." MSID:: 127864924 413 |