Gross violation: UR Properties encroaches government land reserved for STP in Puttur

Puttur

Land reserved for a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in Chikkamudnoor village of Puttur taluk in Dakshina Kannada district has been encroached upon by individuals linked to UR Properties leading to the closure of a public access road and stalling of a critical sanitation project meant to serve the town and surrounding villages.

Government records accessed by blrpost.com show that 5.50 acres in Survey No.102/9 of Chikkamudnoor village were formally reserved in 2017 for establishment of an STP. The individuals linked to UR Properties have encroached over 1 acre. The land that was owned by the revenue department was reserved by the same department.

It should be noted that a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) is also in the High Court by Mohammad Ali H, social worker and local Congress leader. The HC after admitting the petition has directed to serve notice to the respondents including a person attached to UR Properties.

On December 23, 2025, UR Properties held an inaugural ceremony of private layout – Shreema Theme Park at the STP site allegedly insulting the tax payers. 

Reservation of land for STP and encroachment 

The reservation was carried out by the revenue department which also demarcated the land, fixed boundaries, and removed Kumki rights under the Karnataka Land Revenue Act to ensure the land remained free from private claims. The site was later handed over for implementation of sewage treatment infrastructure in compliance with national environmental mandates. A sum of ₹ 19 crore was also allocated for the project. 

Despite this clear reservation, the STP land has allegedly been encroached upon by Raksha S R, wife of Ujwal Kumar Prabhu, who owns land adjacent to the STP site. Prabhu is founder of UR Properties.

While developing a private residential layout on neighbouring survey numbers, the developer is accused of illegally occupying portions of the STP-reserved land and obstructing its only access road, said Ali. 

The most serious allegation concerns the blocking of a public road that provides access to the STP site. During the formation of the private layout, a compound wall was constructed across the road, effectively cutting off entry to the STP land. Revenue records and mutation registers indicate that this road existed well before the layout was proposed and has long been used by residents of multiple villages.

Public money spent

Ali pointed out that “the Puttur Town Municipality had spent over ₹41 lakh of public funds to form and improve this road, which was intended both to connect nearby villages and to provide access to the STP land. The municipality had constructed a concrete road.”

Unfortunately The construction of the compound wall has rendered the road unusable, negating the public investment and leaving the STP site landlocked.

Beyond the road obstruction, officials have recorded direct encroachment into the STP-reserved land itself, estimated at close to one acre. Unauthorised structures are reported to have come up within the demarcated boundaries of the STP site. Correspondence from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), following a spot inspection, notes the construction of a temple (bhajana mandir) inside the land reserved for the STP, pointing to a clear intrusion into government property.

Municipal authorities have internally acknowledged the encroachment and its consequences. Records show that Puttur Town Municipal Council Commissioner on March 25, 2025 wrote to the member secretary of Puttur Planning Authority saying that Raksha S R has encroached STP land. The letter by the commissioner asked the planning authority not to approve the layout located adjacent to the STP land. Despite this approval was given for the layout highlighting builder-officials nexus and alleged corruption. 

It should also be noted that despite repeated instructions issued to the developer to remove the compound wall and clear the encroachment, the situation on the ground reportedly remained unchanged. The obstruction has directly prevented officials and contractors from accessing the STP site, making it impossible to transport machinery, verify boundaries, or commence construction.

The continued encroachment ultimately led municipal authorities to file a formal police complaint stating that public land and a public road had been illegally occupied by the private developer. An FIR was also registered last year citing trespass, obstruction, and encroachment of government property, underscoring the seriousness of the violations.

Environmental officials have warned that blocking access to land reserved for sewage treatment undermines statutory waste management obligations. 

Officials familiar with the issue say the episode highlights a broader problem of private layouts encroaching upon land reserved for public utilities, even after formal government reservation and demarcation. In this case, despite clear records identifying the STP land and the public road, the encroachment has persisted long enough to stall a vital infrastructure project. 

The sources say that despite this issue being brought to the notice of local MLA Ashok Rai, no action was taken. Ujawal Prabhu on the other hand is a BJP member and recently claimed that he is a ticket aspirant for Puttur. Both Congress and BJP workers are wondering as to why Congress MLA Rai is allegedly protecting the BJP member. 

Unless the encroached portions are cleared and the blocked road restored, authorities warn that the STP project will remain on paper, defeating the purpose of reserving public land for essential sanitation infrastructure.