In a bid to protect government land from land sharks, the Revenue Department has decided to fence the government land that has been freed from encroachers.
Announcing this in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, Revenue Minister R. Ashok said Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had assured a grant of ₹100 crore for the Revenue Department to undertake fencing work. Mr. Ashok said this would help prevent freed land from being encroached again. He also announced that the government would try to auction such parcels recovered from land sharks.
The Minister made the statement while replying to a call attention notice tabled by BJP member Goolihatti Shekhar who alleged that about 300 acres of government land had been encroached by land sharks at Hulimangala, of Jigani hobli in Anekal taluk on Bengaluru city outskirts.
The land, coming under Survey No. 155, had two different kinds of illegalities. On one parcel of land, sites had been formed illegally without converting the land use pattern through the development authority. On another parcel of land, Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) itself gave approval for constructing a 12-storeyed building as well as apartments though the land did not belong to the developers, he alleged.
JD(S) member A.T. Ramaswamy, said the authorities concerned had already said that there were no documents to prove that about 470 acres of government land coming under the above survey number had been allotted to individuals. “So how could the BDA give its approval?” he asked.
Mr. Ashok said a Panchayat Development Officer has been suspended in connection with the illegal layout formation at Hulimangala. Observing that it had become difficult to act against land sharks and corrupt officials, he said some of the officials who were hand-in-glove with land sharks were quick to get legal relief to insulate themselves from any action from the government. Land sharks too are working at lighting speed to get legal relief, he said.
