Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (SP)
Bangalore, Jul 17: On Thursday July 16, in a joint memorandum, both the Congress and the JDS urged the state governor to hand over the alleged land acquisition scandal in Karnataka Housing Board (KHB), to the Lokayukta for investigation, as their efforts to persuade the government to hand over the investigation either to Central Bureau of Investigation or the Lokayukta failed to make any impact.
The stand off between the ruling and opposition parties continued for the second day on Thursday, with both the sides refusing to budge from their stated stands. Both sides seem to have treated the matter as a prestige issue. Members of both the opposition parties walked out after the lunch recess, protesting against the government's stand and went to Raj Bhavan by foot in the leadership of JDS leader H D Revanna and Congress leader Siddaramaiah. The Congress and JDS members of the legislative council headed by V S Ugrappa and M C Nanaiah accompanied them.
Proceedings in the assembly failed to take off for the second day, because of the tough posture owned by the opposition. The conciliation efforts made by the speaker by convening the meetings of the leaders of both the sides in his cabin six times, failed to produce any tangible result. In an hour-long meeting with the governor, the opposition leaders convinced the governor about the irregularities committed by Karnataka Housing Board in acquiring land at Shidlaghatta taluk of Chickballapur district, supported by records. The governor assured them that he would look into their demands and do whatever he could, within the legal framework. The opposition leaders have been accusing the KHB of buying lands there by paying over ten times the ruling prices and that the brother of former minister Krishnaiah Shetty is a major beneficiary of this scam.
Chief Minister Yeddyurappa, who rejected the suggestions made by the opposition parties to get the scam investigated through independent agencies, ordered the chief secretary to place before him a detailed investigation report on the scam if any, that have occurred in the acquisition of lands by Karnataka Housing Board during the last five years. He stuck to the stand that there have been various examples of buying land at prices over and above the guided rates by KHB, Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board etc., and accused the opposition parties of not being serious about discussing development issues. He also cited that as against the guiding rate of Rs 2.74 lac per acre prevailing in Hassan, land had been bought at the rate of Rs 11 lac per acre for the airport there.