The Hindu : Front Page : Some land records of Gowda family ‘missing'

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Some land records of Gowda family ‘missing'

Special Correspondent

A stern warning has been issued to officials to trace them quickly

BANGALORE: Officials from the Chief Minister's Secretariat on Saturday, apparently acting on the directions of their boss, began the search for land records pertaining to properties owned by the family of the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda in Hassan district.

With some of the land documents reportedly missing, a stern warning has been issued to the officials of the Revenue Department in the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Hassan, and in the office of the tahsildar of Holenarsipur taluk in the district, to trace them within the next few days.

Deadline

The officials, who made the trip to Hassan, said a deadline has been issued to recover the “missing” documents.

The effort to trace the land documents is in connection with the land scam that has been rocking the State over the past month.

While the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy claims Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has a major role in the denotification of land acquired by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board and the Bangalore Development Authority, the Chief Minister's Political Secretary, B.J. Puttaswamy, has produced documents on alleged encroachment of government land by the Deve Gowda family.

A vow

The Chief Minister has also gone on record that, if true, such land in Hassan district will be recovered and distributed among the landless poor. Mr. Yeddyurappa, who is away in Tamil Nadu on a pilgrimage, has vowed to bring the alleged illegal and benami properties owned by the Deve Gowda family out into the open.

Security was strengthened when the team visited the tahsildar's office in Holenarasipur.

Deputy Commissioner Naveenraj Singh met the team at the tahsildar's office and discussed the issue. Assistant Commissioner Kari Gowda was also present.

Claim

Mr. Puttaswamy claims that Mr. Deve Gowda and family have illegally grabbed 82.01 acres of government, gomala and tank bed area at Kamenahalli, Paduvalahippe, Galipura Kaval, Maragowdanahalli, Chakenahalli of Holenarsipur and Arkalgud taluks in Hassan district.

Information obtained

It is reported that the team obtained information on land owned by the Deve Gowda family at the tahsildar's office in Holenarsipur and instructions were issued to the officials to despatch the remaining documents to the Chief Minister's office.

Tahsildar A.N. Prasad provided details to the team. The team may visit the district again for collecting more information, if needed.

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