From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, May 9: In the continuing saga of trading of charges and countercharges between JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda and his family members on the one hand and chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on the other, the latter’s Political Secretary B J Puttaswamy has alleged that former Minister and JD(S) Legislature Party Leader H D Revanna has indulged in favoritism, corruption and other irregularities like misuse of powers during his tenure as minister in Holenarasipur taluk of Hassan district.
Puttaswamy, who has been repeatedly leveling charges against Deve Gowda as well as his son and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy as well as Revanna and other family members of the former prime minister, on Monday came out with an inquiry report submitted to the Upa Lokayukta on a complaint given by N Krishnaswsamy, regarding the series of irregularities in the occupation of government lands in the home district of Deve Gowda.
According to Puttaswamy, the inquiry report submitted to the Upa Lokayukta and obtained under the Right to Information Act, Revanna had allegedly allotted Government gomala, grassland, graveyard, forest reserve lands totaling 656.27 acres to 290 persons in Holenarasipura taluk in Hassan district.
Puttaswamy, who released an enquiry report on the complaint given by N Krishnaswamy of Holenarasipura to Upa Lokayukta regarding irregularities in occupation of government lands, said the regularisation committee headed by Revanna had decided to regularise the unauthorised occupation in favour of 290 members who have not at all filed application in Form 53.
As per the directions of the Upa Lokayukta, an Inspection Team headed by G N Nayak, Special Officer, KPCL, Bangalore, was constituted last year and submitted its report.
Revanna had shown favoritism by granting lands to his relatives, persons closed to him when he was the Minister in 2007. As per the law, Revanna has no right to head the bagar-hukum panel since he was the minister, Puttaswamy said claiming that ''Deve Gowda and his family does not believe in rule of law and they are a law unto themselves as is evident from the incident.''
The Task Force, in its brief analysis of the complaint, said: ''The bagar-hukum committee has not considered the Form 53 filed by Ms Sandya, wife of Vijayaragahava, seeking regularisation in survey number 10/2 of Hangarahosur village. The committee has regularised in favour of persons who have not filed Form 53 namely Padma, Gayatri, Nalini and Kumar.''
''No evidence/information is forthcoming as to Kadiah, ex-tahsildar, who signed the Saguvali chits by putting back dates even after his retirement. It is apparently clear that the committee has proceeded to regularise the lands reserved for rehabilitation of displaced persons under the Hemavathi Irrigation Project," the panel said.
Reading out task force report, the BJP leader claimed: ''Several lacunae have been pointed out in maintaining the office files,'' and said the JD(S) leader indulged in serious irregularities by distributing gomala lands to his relatives and close families. No procedures had been followed in either selecting beneficiaries or allotting lands. While the persons known to Revana received four to five acres of lands, others had been allotted a few guntas.''
Stating that he would write to Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on the issue to take stern action against officials who signed documents at that time, Puttaswamy said lands should be reallotted to eligible families.
He also urged the Forest Department to take steps to recover the land allotted to families by panel headed by Revanna.
It may be recalled that Kumaraswamy had lambasted Puttaswamy as Yeddyurappa’s agent to tarnish his family by leveling false charges without concrete evidence. ''He is Yeddyurpapa’s paid agent,'' Kumaraswamy had alleged against his detractor Puttaswamy.