Reprieve for Dinesh as Asst Commissioner Orders Land Re-survey

BENGALURU:The assistant commissioner of Bengaluru North Sub-Division has set aside the tahsildar’s eviction order with regard to the alleged encroachment of revenue land by Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao.

According to official sources, Assistant Commissioner Maheshbabu, while quashing the tahsildar’s order of July 28, 2011, has also ordered a re-survey of the land.

Sharply criticising the order, social activist S R Hiremath, who had complained to the Lokayukta against Dinesh and his family members on the alleged land grab, said, “The assistant commissioner has no power to order a re-survey as the matter was settled long back.”

Hiremath said the revenue authorities had already removed the encroachment and erected fencing following the tahsildar’s order, and the same had been communicated to the Lokayukta police, who are investigating the issue. “It is an unprecedented order. We are studying the issue and will soon take a decision on the future course of action.”

However, Dinesh told Express, “My stand on the issue has been vindicated now. Let the re-survey be conducted and the truth come out.”

The assistant commissioner  in his order issued on January 19, 2015, a copy of which is available with Express, admonished the tahsildar for not properly taking into account documents such as various sale deeds and grant records presented by the applicants (Dinesh and his family members), before coming to the conclusion that the applicant or his family members had encroached on the land.

The assistant commissioner  has directed the present tahsildar as well as the assistant director of Land Records to conduct a re-survey of Survey numbers 3 and 13 of Navarathna Agrahara village, near Yelahanka, after issuing notices to all the khatedars concerned, and identify the land owned by them by referring to the title deeds.

 The order also stated that if the authorities found any excess land was being held by the parties, it should be taken back in accordance with law.

The Bengaluru North taluk tahsildar, in his 2011 order, had stated that the family members of Dinesh had encroached upon 5.09 acres of gomala land in  Survey No. 3 and another five acres in Survey No. 13 located at Navarathna Agrahara.

Disputing the order, the minister and his family members had appealed to revenue authorities in June 2014 seeking fixation of boundary marks and division of survey numbers by conducting a re-survey.