The inquiry into the illegal conversion of about 2,000 acres at the foot of Chamundi Hill has indicted the then deputy commissioner P S Vastrad. The 134-page report submitted to the government by Mysore Regional Commissioner M V Jayanti a few days ago states that Vastrad was incorrect in his decision that the land was not ‘B’ kharab (government land) and was private property. The report has recommended action against him.
It states that Vastrad had used powers which are not in his purview while issuing an order for amalgamation of the land in three different survey numbers in three villages for which there is no clear and specific order by the government.
The report further states that the authority should have made inquiries based on surveys as per the rules. ‘The DC taking a decision in haste without verifying facts is not right,’ states the report. The said land located close to Mysore city is worth crores of rupees.
The report points out that Vastrad, in 10 out of 12 inquiry notices pertaining to the issue, had made Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar the aggrieved party while the Mysore tahsildar was made the aggrieved party in the remaining two cases. But in the final order, the tahsildar was made applicant in all cases. Though the order states that Wadiyar is an applicant, no application submitted by him are found in the files. Even the inquiry files pertaining to all 12 cases does not relate to the tahsildar.
The report states that in all 12 cases, only a few documents were referred before the DC made the order. Since government departments had buildings and offices in these lands, they should have been given more time to prove their authority on the land, the report stressed. If necessary, a government lawyer should have been appointed to argue in their favour. The report further adds that the DC’s order appears to have been made without keeping in mind the future development of the city as well as conservation of green zones.