Hyderabad Karnataka Vimochana Vedike (HKVV) and Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) alleged that Raichur Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) has sold out around 80 acres of its land to 87 private traders violating rules and regulations.
They demanded that the Deputy Commissioner (D.C.) intervene in the issue and order a comprehensive investigation into it.
Addressing a joint press conference in Raichur on Friday, Ambanna Arolikar, Convenor of HKVV, said that 28 plots with a varying area between 2 and 3 acres each located at A and B Wings of APMC's cotton market yard and 55 plots with a varying area of less than one acre each and located at B Wing of the same yard were sold out to "ineligible players at a throwaway price".
While the 28 plots in former category were sold at Rs. 40 a sqft, the 55 plots latter category, were sold at Rs. 80 a sqft, he added.
"As per the rules, only those traders who were holding trading licences for at least last three consecutive years and promptly paying cess and taxes were eligible for getting plots for establishing agriculture-produce-based industries and marketing units. However, we have found that 15 people who did not have trading licence and couple of Congress leaders including A. Vasanth Kumar, Chairman of Tungabhadra Command Area Development Authority and Akshay Naik, who obtained licences only after APMC issued notification for selling the plots were allotted valuable plots," he charged.
Mr. Arolikar also alleged that the plots reserved for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe traders were allocated to Upper Caste people on the pretext of insufficient number of applications from SC and ST traders.
"14 plots were reserved for SC traders and another 6 plots were reserved for ST traders. However, only four plots for SC traders and two plots for ST traders were allocated. Remaining plots reserved for these categories sold out to upper caste traders violating the reservation norms," he alleged.
KRV District President, Ashok Kumar Jain alleged that APMC had allocated more than one plots to single family. "A. Veeresh, the owner of Sri Paguntaswamy Cotton Ginning Factory, has been allotted with two plots and G. Veeranagowda, owner of Sri Siddarameshwar Trading Company, has got three plots, under different names of their family members," he alleged. Congress leader Garaladinni Siddanagowda, he added, has got six plots under different names.
Mr. Arolikar and Mr. Jain alleged that political leaders cutting across the party lines, including District In-charge Minister Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil, Raichur Lok Sabha member B. V. Naik, Raichur MLA Dr. Shivaraj Patil, were involved in the land scam.
They demanded Deputy Commissioner Mr. S. Sasikanth Senthil to order a thorough probe and bring the wrongdoers into the court of law.
