A.T. Ramaswamy

BANGALORE: The Joint Legislature Committee on encroachment of government lands on Thursday recommended to the Government to file a criminal case against liquor baron K.L. Srihari Khoday for allegedly grabbing 188 acres at Kengeri hobli in Bangalore South taluk.

The panel has also recommended the authorities to file a criminal case against Anand Chaluvadi, Joint Director of the Town Planning of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, for reportedly colluding with land grabbers in the city.

Addressing presspersons here, chairman of the legislature committee A.T. Ramaswamy said Mr. Srihari Khoday, son of the late Lakshmana Khoday, had encroached the government land at Choodanahalli (survey No. 137) at B.M Kaval, Kengeri hobli in Bangalore South taluk. The Karnataka High Court in its verdict directed the Government to recover the encroached land from Mr. Srihari Khoday and 11 others. The High Court in its order had said that owners of the property were strangers and their applications were not maintainable.

The committee recommended filing of criminal cases against officials who supported the land mafia to encroach government lands. But so far the Revenue Department had not initiated any action. "I have also written to the Government on the inaction on the part of the officials of various departments to recover encroached lands of the Government," he said.

In several cases, the courts had given rulings in favour of the Government. But department officials had failed to protect the properties. At Alasandra near Yelahanka in Bangalore, the land mafia had grabbed five acres. The High Court ruled in favour of the Karnataka Housing Board and asked the KHB to evict unauthorised occupants. But the KHB officials had not recovered the land, Mr. Ramaswamy said.

Similarly, a person had encroached upon 9,004 sq ft of land of the National Institute for Mental Health and Nuero Sciences (NIMHANS) at Byrasandra in Bangalore.

Now, the land grabber had been constructing an apartment on the plot by getting approval for the building plan from the town planning officials of the BBMP, Mr. Ramaswamy said.

The panel chairman said many poor families had also encroached upon government lands and constructed houses in Bangalore. The committee had decided to allot such sites for them on humanitarian grounds, he said.

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