Minister for Cooperation S.T. Somashekar has questioned the need for Commissioner of Survey, Settlement and Land Records Munish Moudgil to order a re-survey of certain parcels of land in and around Mysuru that had already been surveyed by Divisional Commissioner of Mysuru following allegations of land grabbing levelled by former Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru Rohini Sindhuri against JD (S) MLA S.R. Mahesh.
“It has been surveyed and a report has already been submitted in the regard. Who gave Munish Moudgil the authority to survey it again?”, questioned Mr. Somashekar while fielding queries from reporters here on Sunday.
The Commissioner, Survey, Settlement and Land Records, Bengaluru, has ordered survey of certain parcels of land at Kergalli, Yadahalli, Dattagalli, and Lingambudhi villages by a three-member team of officials citing a complaint by a resident of Kuvempunagar in Mysuru about encroachment of government land. The order to survey the land issued by the Commissioner on September 31, has asked the team to submit a report in 10 days.
Mr. Somashekar on Sunday sought to refer to the survey of land already carried out by a team constituted by Divisional Commissioner of Mysuru G.C. Prakash, which submitted a report giving a clean chit to Mr. Mahesh.
Questioning Mr. Moudgil’s authority to conduct a re-survey of the land, Mr. Somashekar cautioned IAS officers against assuming that any person, who was accused by a fellow IAS officer, was dishonest. However, he said he would not have any objection to survey of land if there was any irregularity that needed to be rectified. “But, vengeance politics is not done”, he said.
Mr. Somashekar said Mr. Moudgil had been entrusted with the work on setting right the land records of farmers following the agricultural loan waiver scheme of the State government about two years ago. Even after two years, Mr. Moudgil had kept examination of 53,000 land records pending, the Minister said while raising questions over the officer’s intentions in ordering the re-survey of land records that had already been surveyed by the Divisional Commissioner in Mysuru.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mahesh, alleged that Ms. Sindhuri was behind the complaint submitted to Mr. Moudgil by a resident of Kuvempunagar in Mysuru that was used as the basis to order a fresh survey.
