ARREST: Aland MLA B.R. Patil and his supporters being arrested after they tried to lock up the office of the land army in Gulbarga on Friday.

GULBARGA: Former Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council and MLA from Aland B.R. Patil and his supporters, including two zilla panchayat members, were arrested when they tried to lock up the office of the Karnataka Land Army in Gulbarga in protest against the failure of the land army to implement development works within the time schedule in Aland taluk.

Nearly 100 people, including Mr. Patil, zilla panchayat members Shivaraj Bhasgi (Congress) and Mallinath Patil (Congress Associate member) and vice-president of the Gulbarga District Cooperative Credit Bank Shankarrao Deshmukh, were arrested and taken to the police barracks. However, they were released after one hour.

There was tension near the Karnataka Land Army office for more than one hour in the morning when Mr. Patil and his supporters, who came in a procession, tried to gatecrash with a view to lock up the main office. Policemen guarding the main gate tried to prevent the supporters of Mr. Patil from entering the premises before arresting Mr. Patil and the others.

Mr. Patil said the land army, which had taken many works on contract in Aland taluk, including relaying of the Right Bank Canal of the Amarja Medium Irrigation Project and road works and building works in the district worth several crores of rupees, has failed to complete them within the time schedule. Mr. Patil said the land army was awarded a contract worth Rs. 16 crore to take up the relaying of the Right Bank Canal of the Amarja Medium Irrigation Project last year and as per the agreement, it should have completed the work from 0 km to 23 km before April 24.

However, the land army has spent only Rs. 74 lakh of the project cost and the pace of work was slow. At present, work was not going on in the site hampering the efforts of the Irrigation Department to provide water to the command areas covered by the project.

Similarly, the land army has taken up construction of four roads at a cost of Rs. 75 lakh but has done nothing so far. Mr. Patil said when he led a delegation to hold discussions with the land army officials on March 4 this year the latter sought 15 days for speeding up work. However, they have not done anything to expedite work, he alleged and said that as a last resort he decided to launch the agitation.

Later, Commissioner of Agriculture Department E. Venkataiah, who is also the district in-charge secretary, held a joint meeting of the land army officials, Irrigation Department officials, Deputy Commissioner Pankajkumar Pandey and Mr. Patil on the issue.

Mr. Venkataiah issued a warning to the land army and said that he would visit the district after a fortnight to inspect the works taken up by it.

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