The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘Small fish grow big’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 05, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Small fish grow big’

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: “What is the role of local politicians, particularly MLAs, in the encroachment of government land,” A.T. Ramaswamy, Chairman of the Joint Legislature Committee looking into the encroachment of government land, was asked by presspersons on Tuesday.

“The question sounds innocuous but it has its own political connotations. Small fish escape the fisherman’s net only to grow big and continue to escape the net forever,” he quipped.

About the repeated statements by the Government that “action has been initiated” or “action will be initiated” against encroachers, he said the revenue authorities had claimed that a first information report had been filed against Larsen & Toubro. “For the Government, filing an FIR itself is an action,” he said.

Asked whether the committee would pursue the matter legally, he said, “The committee is only a recommendatory body. It has no powers to prosecute offenders. If the Government vests such powers in me I will certainly frame criminal charges against the offenders irrespective of their political, financial or social stature. The limitations of House committees should be discussed in detail in the larger interest of democracy,” Mr. Ramaswamy said.

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