BENGALURU: Acting on the report published in The New Indian Express, highlighting the hardship and inconvenience caused to people planning to construct houses, because of the inordinate delay by town planning authorities and BDA in approving their applications seeking conversion of land and sanction of plans, the Karnataka Lokayukta initiated suo motu proceedings against the State Government on Saturday.
Referring to the report, “Approval for conversion of land up to 10 cents must be decentralised”, published in TNIE on Saturday, where the anguish expressed by four MLAs in the ongoing Assembly session in relation to maladministration by the Town Planning Authority of Urban Development Department, Lokayukta Justice P Vishwanatha Shetty said the legislators have expressed the concern on behalf of the people.
Treating the concern expressed by the elected representatives on dereliction of duty and corruption as maladministration under Section 2(10) of the Karnataka Lokayukta Act, Justice Shetty cited the TNIE report that at least 2,000 applications seeking grant approval for conversion of agricultural land are pending and most of the applications are from poor people seeking conversion of small plots to construct houses.
“I have been hearing similar concerns and grievances of large sections of people against the functioning of almost all departments of government starting from the bottom to the highest level. It is painful for anyone to hear the grievances of the public who are made to run from one public servant to another... for years together without there being corresponding response from the public servants to redress the grievances of the public are take effective punitive action against such public servants, who indulge in commission of serious maladministration of which corruption is also one part... These are the matters which are required to be dealt with very seriously, if there has to be clean and transparent administration in the State Administration”, Justice Shetty said in his order.
Pointing out that such conversion applications approved by the Udupi Urban Development Authority are pending before the Town Planning Authority of the Urban Development Department, the Lokayukta passed the order to implead Town Planning Authorities of all districts to the suo motu proceedings. Justice Shetty asked them to submit the response within three weeks.
Referring to the 90-day deadline fixed under Karnataka Planning Authority Rules to dispose of such applications, Justice Shetty directed the registry to implead the Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary, Secretary, Urban Development Authority, Director of Town Planning Authority, Commissioner of BDA, Member Secretary of BIAPPA and Joint Directors of Town Planning Department of all districts, as respondents and issue notice to them. Further hearing will be on April 27, 2021.