The Guruvayanakere-based Nagarika Seva Trust (NST) on Tuesday accused the Shri Khsetra Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade of possessing land in violation of laws and urged him to surrender the excess to government.
NST President Somanatha Nayak, releasing voluminous copies of land documents obtained through RTI petitions, told reporters at Patrika Bhavan: “Of the total 4,671 acres of land, Heggade gave 3,620 acres to tenants under Land Reforms Act. In clear violation of the Act, the remaining 1,050 acres of land is still in possession of his family.’’
Under the Act, Heggade’s family can claim ownership over 216 acres as four members of his family are eligible to own 54 acres each. The remaining land owned by the family should be given to government and disbursed to the homeless, Nayak urged.
Further alleging violations of land purchases, Nayak said 43.90 acres of land in Dharmasthala reserved as Depressed Class (DC) Manna land (for SC/ST communities) was given to Dharmastala Education Trust and Siddavana Gurukula. But without making alternative arrangements for reserving equal proportion of land, this manna land was given to Trust, he alleged.
Also, another 42.05 acres of land was given to the trust under a lease agreement for a period of 30 years at an annual fee of `420 per acre. The lease agreement was renewed in 2008 and the trust pays `9,500 per acre. Nayak sought the dismissal of the agreement.
