The State government on Wednesday introduced the Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition (Amendment) Bill, 2022, in the Legislative Assembly to avoid criminal proceedings against farmers who have encroached government land in rural areas.
The Bill excludes all the places from the purview of the Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition Act, 2011, except areas within the limits of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and the city corporations.
Coming at a time when the encroachment of government land is an issue in Bengaluru and beyond as well, a law that keeps rural areas out of the stringent clauses dealing with encroachment of government land has faced criticism.
The government, however, has argued that it is not right to treat farmers as land-grabbers if they have encroached upon government land during their agricultural operations and the law is aimed at helping them.
