Action sought against top officials for violating rules to serve pvt. interests

Kanta urges govt. to demolish illegal construction being taken up by Sree Cements Ltd.

September 27, 2017 01:00 am | Updated 01:00 am IST - KALABURAGI

The former Minister S.K. Kanta producing photo copies of construction taking place in benami land in Kalaburagi on Tuesday.

The former Minister S.K. Kanta producing photo copies of construction taking place in benami land in Kalaburagi on Tuesday.

The former Minister S.K. Kanta continued his tirade against the alleged nexus between top bureaucrats and Sree Cements Ltd. at Kodla and Benakanhalli villages in Sedam taluk of Kalaburagi district and demanded action against the officials for alleged violation of land acquisition rules to serve private interests.

In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, he has urged the State government to demolish the illegal construction being taken up by Sree Cements Ltd. and sought action against the IAS officers who are said to have helped in the benami purchase of land for the factory.

Setting a one-week deadline for the government to act, Mr. Kanta said, “Either the district administration has to stop the illegal construction on the land purchased by farmers or I will stage a Satyagraha outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office.”

Mr. Kanta, addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, said that Sree Cements Ltd. had purchased around 1,790 acres of land, including 1,360 acres in benami purchase and 430 acres of government land, with the help of senior officials.

The district administration’s studied silence over the issue raises many questions, he said.

Six retired officers, including three former Chief Secretaries, two former Principal Secretaries of the Revenue Department and a former Principal Secretary of Commerce and Industries helped Sree Cements Ltd., a Rajasthan-based company, to purchase agricultural land at a ridiculously low price, causing huge losses to the Exchequer.

In 2008, the cement company purchased around 1,360 acres of agricultural land in the names of its employees working in the Rajasthan branch. Though the land purchase value was less than the valuation, the officials claimed that the deal was fair and legal and entailed no violations of land acquisition laws. Mr. Kanta said that the worth of such land runs into thousands of crores and the purchasers and government officials at the top level had violated Land Reforms Act 1962 and the Karnataka Stamp Act 1957 by giving two cheques to farmers — one for registered value and another for the difference amount.

Around 430 acres of government land is being given on lease at ₹ 2,000 per year to the factory, which would amount to just ₹ 2.58 crore in the next 30 years. Mr. Kanta said that the recent value of land is ₹ 6.25 lakh per acre and the actual value of government land stood at ₹ 26.88 crore for 430 acres. It entailed a loss of ₹ 26.10 crore to the government, Mr. Kanta added.

Later, the State government rejected the recommendation of the Finance Department to sell the government land that was granted on lease at ₹ 10,000 per acre annually for 30 years.

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