Minister for Revenue V. Srinivas Prasad on Wednesday said that the government is planning to set up a Joint Legislature Committee to identity government land encroached upon by the land mafia in major cities, including Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli and Belgaum.
“The land mafia must be dealt with seriously even in other parts of the State, besides Bangalore and Mysore. The government will take all necessary legal steps to reclaim land that had been encroached upon over the years,” he said.
Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Prasad said that the issue of government land encroachment would be discussed in detail in the State Cabinet and steps would be taken to reclaim such land.
The Minister said that 10,000 acres of government land that was encroached upon in Bangalore had been reclaimed, and another 20,000 acres of land remains to be reclaimed.
Ramaswamy report
“The A.T. Ramaswamy Committee had reported that 30,000 acres of government land had been encroached upon in Bangalore,” he said.
Mr. Prasad said: “How to claim and use the remaining portion of the land in Bangalore will be discussed with the authorities concerned.”
With regard to the ownership of prime land in survey number 41 of Alanahalli, survey number 4 of Kurubarahalli and survey number 39 of Chowdahalli, near Chamundi Hills, Mr. Prasad said that the issue is in court and therefore, it is sub-judice .
However, the Minister assured that the government will act on the issue only after the court pronounces its verdict. “We will act on the basis of court order,” he replied.
At the same time, the Revenue Department will consult the Advocate-General and the Law Department as it is a serious matter, he said.
Mr. Prasad said that the government will soon file a vakalat in the case.
To a question on the fate of IAS officer T.M. Vijayabhaskar’s report on the alleged encroachment of land near Chamundi Hills submitted several years ago, the Minister said that the report was submitted when late J.H. Patel was the Chief Minister. “I do not know what decision was taken on the report by the then government. I am also not aware of the N.K. Baladevakrishna report on the same issue,” he said in reply to questions on the alleged land grabbing around Chamundi Hills.
Mr. Prasad, however, said that the government will not hesitate to initiate a probe into the alleged land grabbing near Chamundi Hills as a supplementary to earlier inquiry reports, including the one by T.M. Vijayabhaskar Committee.
Asked whether the government is committed to taking action in the matter despite the alleged involvement of some influential persons, Mr. Prasad said, “The government will initiate action as per law no matter how influential those involved are.”
Mr. Prasad promised to bring in transparency in his department. “This portfolio has been given to me by the Chief Minister considering my experience as a five-time MP, as a Minister at the Centre and a two-time MLA. I will perform my job responsibly,” he said.
The Minister said that the government is committed to fulfilling the promises made in the party’s manifesto and it has started to work in that direction.
Chamarajnagar MP R. Dhruvanarayan, party leaders Mohan Kumar and MDCC Bank president C. Basave Gowda were present.
