The Hindu : Karnataka News : BJP demands CBI inquiry into encroachments in Bangalore

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 15, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

BJP demands CBI inquiry into encroachments in Bangalore

Special Correspondent

`It is common knowledge that valuable government properties have been encroached over the years thanks to the collusion between politicians and bureaucrats.' Deve Gowda, Shivakumar should agree for such a probe, says Jagadish Shettar

Jagadish Shettar

BANGALORE: The State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has demanded a CBI investigation into the large-scale encroachment of government land in and around Bangalore.

The President of the State unit of the party, Jagadish Shettar, who was speaking at the Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations at the party headquarters here on Thursday, said while the former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, has charged that nearly 45,000 acres of land have been encroached upon, the former Minister, D.K. Shivakumar, has said that the family of Mr. Deve Gowda has grabbed nearly 700 acres of land.

Okalipuram plot

Mr. Deve Gowda has pointed a finger at the former Minister, particularly in the case relating to the grabbing of a four-acre plot at Okalipuram in Bangalore, forming part of a slum and a burial ground. Rather than levelling charges against each other, the people would appreciate it if Mr. Deve Gowda and Mr. Shivakumar submit the documents in their possession for an inquiry.

Mr. Shettar later told The Hindu that it is common knowledge that valuable government properties have been encroached upon over the years thanks to the collusion between politicians and bureaucrats. Rather than be involved in "street fights," the former Prime Minister and the former Minister should come clean by referring the matter for a CBI investigation. Incidentally, both of them form part of the coalition Government in the State and if the political parties, which they represent, are involved in land scams then they have no moral right to run the administration. The demand for a CBI probe by the State BJP President is obviously to snub both the JanataDal (S) and the Congress in one shot.

Land prices

Mr. Deve Gowda has said that the Janata Dal (S) will organise a rally of slum-dwellers to highlight the manner in which land-grabbers have usurped the property made over to them by the Karnataka Slum Clearance Board. Land prices in Bangalore have skyrocketed in recent months and that has prompted anti-social elements to usurp the open spaces and properties of the poor.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka