Samaj Parivarthan Samudaya (SPS) has urged the State government to seize 200 acres of land said to have been grabbed by the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and his relative and former Minister D.C. Thamanna.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, SPS founder-president S.R. Hiremath said that Mr. Kumaraswamy and Mr. Thamanna together have grabbed nearly 110 acres of gomal land and 90 acres of other land with Survey No 7, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17 and 79 belonging to the government at Kethiganahalli in Bidadi hobli of Ramnagaram district.
The SPS had filed a complaint with the Lokayukta and after a detailed investigation, the Lokayukta had directed the Revenue Department Principal Secretary to initiate steps for recovery of the government land which is in the possession of Mr. Kumaraswamy and his relatives. The Lokayukta had also ordered initiating criminal action against those involved for trespassing onto government land and also against the officials of the government who were guilty. However, the previous government did not act upon the recommendations of the Lokayukta and did not recover the land, he said.
The SPS has now filed a petition in the High Court Divisional Bench headed by Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka A.K. Oka. The SPS has pleaded before court for implementation of the Lokayukta order of August 5, 2014, as more than five years have elapsed and the government has not taken any steps to comply with the order of the Lokayukta.
The High Court has asked government counsel to file submissions regarding compliance with the Lokayukta order and the SPS welcomes this decision. Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa should act upon the Lokayukta report and recover the government land and take related action within a time frame under the supervision and control of the High Court, he said.
Welcomed
Mr. Hiremath has welcomed the Union government's decision of disbursing ₹ 1,800 crore for the rehabilitation of flood-affected regions in North Karnataka. He said that the Centre should provide much more considering the large-scale destruction of crops and property suffered by a large number of poor people in the region.
