BANGALORE: Revenue Minister Jagadish Shettar said on Wednesday that government officials who transferred records of 1,821 hectares (4,520 acres) of land to encroachers in and around Bangalore face action.

He told the Legislative Council that the details of those responsible for the transfer and the action proposed to be initiated against them will be made public.

A question from "Mukhyamantri" Chandru (Bharatiya Janata Party) was followed by a discussion, and members from all parties demanded an investigation by a joint House Committee.

False documents

About encroachment on 1,821 hectares of land, Mr. Shettar said there are 337 instances of creation of false documents covering 1,059 hectares (2,617 acres). Responding to members who protested against the response that "no criminal cases have been filed against the guilty officials", he explained that after a favourable verdict in the special officer's court of inquiry, the process of changing the owner's name in the land records of the Government has been initiated. Illegal titleholders and encroachers are being evicted, he said.

He accepted the suggestion of members to consider amendments to the Land Revenue Act to make mutation of land records or falsifying them a criminal offence punishable with a seven-year jail sentence and a fine.

Leader of the Opposition H.K. Patil urged Mr. Shettar to agree to institute a joint House Committee inquiry.

The Minister pointed out that Mr. Kumaraswamy has announced a House Committee inquiry in the Legislative Assembly. He will respond to Mr. Patil's suggestion after consultations with the Chief Minister. V.S. Ugrappa (Congress) demanded that apart from disclosing the names of the guilty officials, the Government must file criminal cases against them immediately.

B.A. Hasanabba (Congress) said many influential persons including politicians have acquired land.

Basavaraj Bommai (JD-U) said the Government must make public the names of former Ministers who have acquired government land.

In the Assembly

In the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy told G.V. Srirama Reddy (Communist Party of India-Marxist) that he is in favour of constitution of a House Committee to go into land grabbing in Bangalore.

Mr. Reddy said influential persons have bought lands, including those owned by the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, in "benami" names.

Speaker Krishna announced that a House Committee will be constituted immediately.

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