THE DISCLOSURE AND THE DENIAL TASK FORCE REPORT ON LAND GRABBING, GOVERNMENT IN DENIAL MODE

                

Firoz.T.Totanawala

The Bangalore Metro Reporter

15th July 2011 issue-

                          

                    THE DISCLOSURE AND THE DENIAL

TASK FORCE REPORT ON LAND GRABBING, GOVERNMENT IN DENIAL MODE

When H. D. Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister, he formed the Task Force committee of legislators under the chairmanship of A.T Ramaswamy, to probe Government land encroachments etc. in and around Bangalore.

The ATR committee after a lot of efforts, scrutiny of revenue records submitted two reports and submitted the exposure report of land grabbing by powerful politicians and notorious housing societies and others. The ATR committee estimated the land grab to the extent of 30 thousand acres and directed the concerned authorities like BDA, KHB, KIADB, Revenue and Forest departments to take steps to recover the encroachment lands. But before anything could be done in this regard, the Karnataka State came under the President’s rule and the ATR committee stood dissolved.

The BJP Government later formed the Task Force to detect encroachment of Government lands. V. Balasubramaniam, a former IAS official, famous for his honesty, integrity and efficiency was made the chairman of the Task Force to detect encroachments on Government lands in the entire State. It may be recalled that Balasubramaniam was the Secretary to the A.T Ramaswamy Committee. Many heads of various concerned departments were made members of this Task Force.

The Task Force carried out a systematic and scientific investigation, based on the revenue and other records and detected encroachment of more than two lakh acres of land! And before the term of the Task Force ended on 4^th of this month, Balasubramaniam, as the chairman of the Task Force, submitted the voluminous report to the Government and released the same to the press. Shockingly, the Revenue Principal Secretary, Ashok.C. Manoli, refused to bear the cost of printing the report as it contained adverse remarks against the present political rulers. Balasubramaniam then spent money from his own pockets and got the report printed.

Once the report was made public, the Revenue Minister Karunakara Reddy whose actions have come in for severe criticism, made a statement that Balasubramaniam has not submitted the report to the Government and that he will not accept the report. Balasubramaniam retorted that the report was submitted to the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary. It is another matter that Balasubramaniam has brought to light the Chief Minister’s direction to the authorities in Chickmanagalur, not to proceed with resumption of Government lands which were encroached. It is for this exposure that the Government or rather Karunakara Reddy, has refused to accept the report. Besides, there are adverse remarks against the Revenue Minister himself in the report.

Of course, Balasubramaniam has done his job despite the hostile attitude of the Government. The Revenue Minister Karunakara Reddy has no business to pre judge the report. The usual practice is that the report of the Task Force will be studied in depth by a committee of senior officials and follow up actions are recommended. It is not for Karunakara Reddy to reject the report even without going through it. Needless to say that Reddy does not understand the basics of administration.

Balasubramaniam has disclosed that many of illegal order actions of the Chief Minister, Revenue Minister and other Ministers and leaders have not found place in the report due to time constraints. Interestingly he also did not ask for extension of the Task Force Chairmanship. On the day before his term expired, he got the report printed at his own cost and submitted it to the Government. There is no rule that the report should be submitted to the Revenue Minister or CM.

Whatsoever, the Balasubramaniam report which is yet to be digested by the political leadership and the media will definitely turn out to be a real bombshell in coming days. And that is for sure.