A retired judge of the High Court of Karnataka would be appointed to conduct the judicial probe into alleged de-notification of lands acquired for formation of the Arkavathi Layout in Bangalore
The Karnataka government on Monday ordered a judicial probe in to alleged de-notification of lands in the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that a retired judge of the High Court of Karnataka would be appointed to conduct the judicial probe into alleged de-notification of lands acquired for formation of the Arkavathi Layout in Bangalore by the BDA.
The probe would be conducted from the day of issuing of a preliminary notification in 2003 for 3839 acres till the revised modification scheme was submitted to the High Court of Karnataka, he said.
The Legislative Assembly saw uproarious scenes for the third day on Monday when the State government refused to budge to the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party’s demand for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into alleged 541 acre land de-notification scam in the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) by the Congress government headed by Mr. Siddaramaiah.
The Congress Government has de-notified 541 acres acquired for formation of the Arkavathi Layout in the City by violating six guidelines issued by the High Court of Karnataka, alleged Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar in the Assembly as well as at the press conference.
Members of the BJP continued their dharna alleging involvement of Mr. Siddaramaiah in land de-notification scam. As soon as the House met, BJP members trooped into the well urging the Government to order the CBI probe into land de-notification scheme.
Financial bills were passed in the House amidst dharna by the BJP members.
Mr. Siddaramaiah hit out at BJP members and said 541acres of BDA lands denotiifed by the previous BJP government on February 12, 2013 when Mr Shettar was the Chief Minister. Though the Congress demanded CBI probes into 20 different scams during the BJP government’s term, all demands were rejected. Now the BJP was insisting for the CBI probe just because the NDA Government led by the BJP is ruling at the Centre, Mr Siddaramaiah said.
With both ruling Congress and BJP members indulged in trading charges against each other on alleged illegal denotification of lands in the City, Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa adjourned the House for the lunch.
Congress retaliates, seeks probe into Gujarat land deals
The Congress Government in Karnataka sought a probe into loss of huge amount of money to the Gujarat exchequer due to granting of lands at lesser prices to corporate entities by that government.
Addressing presspersons here on Monday after the Karnataka Legislative Assembly was adjourned following a dharna by the Opposition BJP, which was demanding a CBI probe into alleged de-notification of lands by the Congress Government, Mr Siddaramaiah launched a counter attack and sought a probe into undue favours on large corporate entities by the Gujarat government during the Narendra Modi regime.
Quoting a report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India, which has come down heavily on the Gujarat government for causing a loss of nearly Rs. 25,000 crore to the exchequer by bestowing “undue” favours on large corporate entities, Mr Siddarmaiah demanded the probe into lands deals by the Gujarat government when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of the State.
The CAG report for the year ended March 31, 2012 stated that major industrial houses to which the Narendra Modi government played benefactor included Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), Essar Steel and Adani Power Ltd (APL).
(The Hindu)
