Stop auction of 44 acres of ITI land in Bengaluru: Congress

Former Congress Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Ramesh Babu has petitioned the Centre to halt or postpone the auction of 44.03 acres of Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) land in Bengaluru. The land, located at Krishnarajapuram, was originally granted by the erstwhile government of Mysore in 1948, either at no cost or at reduced rates, to establish ITI and create employment opportunities.

Babu, who heads the KPCC Media & Communication Department, argues that selling prime land to private developers for the Central government’s asset monetisation programme is unfair. The National Land Monetisation Corporation (NLMC), representing ITI, has invited bids for the 44.03-acre plot along Old Madras Road and National Highway 75.

The deadline for submitting technical bids and an earnest money deposit is set for September 16, followed by an online auction. The representation also points out that certain sections of the land are classified as government property, such as karab land, and questions ITI’s right to monetise these parcels. It seeks a joint survey by the Centre and the State, urging the governments to keep the land for a public-sector project, a skill development center, an industrial hub, or other infrastructure that could generate employment.

This demand follows ITI’s recent sale of a 21-acre parcel in K.R. Puram to the Central GST Department for approximately ₹914.31 crore, with the deed registered on July 2, 2026. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar strongly objected to PSUs auctioning lands allotted by the State government, calling it "a misuse of resources," during a Southern Zonal Council meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.