RTI activist accuses CM Yediyurappa of illegal denotification
BENGALURU: An RTI activist has filed an illegal denotification case against Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and two others, with the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), in connection with denotification of 9.20 acres of land in Anekal taluk in 2009. RTI activist Dinesh Kallahalli submitted the complaint to the ACB on Monday. The ACB officials, who received the complaint, however, have not yet decided whether the case is fit for investigation.
The complainant has filed a complaint against Yediyurappa, former Minister Murugesh Nirani, who was Minister for Industries and Commerce, and V P Baligar, retired IAS officer who was Principal Secretary, Department of Industries and Commerce in 2009. It is alleged that survey number 132, 133/2, 130/4, 133/1 and 133/5 measuring nine acres and 20 gunta of land in Kittaganahalli village of Attibele hobli were sought to be acquired by Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) for Bommasandra Industrial Layout 4th phase by notification in 1993 and further procedures were followed in the next three years.
“Claiming that several houses had come up on the acquired land and also that it was converted for commercial purposes, land owners Thimma Reddy, Pillareddy and Shivakumar sought for denotification of the land. Since 28(4) of the KIADB Act was already notified and gazetted, the lands could not have been denotified and after a lapse of several years, the then Minister for Industries Murgesh Nirani directed for denotification of the lands on September 1, 2009 and the then Principal Secretary, Commerce and Industries V P Baligar, conspired for malafide consideration and prevailed upon Yediyurappa to denotify the said lands,” the complainant alleged.
“Colluding with the minister and the lAS officer, Yediyurappa did not consider that the lands were required for public purpose and that the land was sought to be acquired for industrial purposes,” the complainant added.