Here is an article that appeared in the Hindu:-
http://www.hindu.com/2010/08/18/stories/2010081866140400.htm
Create land audit department, demands Raitha Sangha Special Correspondent
| ‘75 p.c. of land acquired in the State has been diverted to real estate business’ |
Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board accused of supporting land mafia Government accused of being anti-rural and anti-farmer
Bangalore: Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha-Hasiru Sene president Kodihalli Chandrashekar has urged the State Government to create a department of land audit to oversee the use of land acquired for various purposes.
Speaking to presspersons here on Monday, he alleged that 75 per cent of the land acquired in the State had been diverted to real estate business, helping a few individuals amass wealth.
Information sought
He sought release of information periodically about the land available with the government, industry, various organisations, and agricultural land at village, taluk and district levels.
Mr. Chandrashekar wanted information on the extent of land given to companies and organisations and how much of it had been utilised for the purpose for which it was allotted and how much surplus land was left with the companies.
He demanded that no government land be given for forming layouts and criticised the move to acquire 2 lakh acres of land for creating a land bank for industries. It was also not correct to allot 1,000 acres for an industry, whose requirement was not even 100 acres, he said.
Accusing the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board of supporting the land mafia, he demanded that it be wound up.
All transactions involving land acquisition and allotment should be entrusted to the land audit department proposed by the sangha. A chapter on land and agriculture should be included in the school curriculum.
Criticising the samaveshas, especially the ones organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party, Mr. Chandrashekar said the Government should concentrate on solving problems such as power shortage. He called upon the farmers to protest such unproductive programmes at taluk and district headquarters. Foodgrains production had been hit hard and prices of vegetables and fruits had gone up owing to load-shedding, he said.
Alleging that no irrigation pumpset was working across the State, Mr. Chandrashekar accused the Government of being anti-rural and anti-farmer.
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