BENGALURU: Karnataka seems to be running out of government land. Raising an alert, Revenue Minister R Ashoka warned that in the next 10-12 years, it might be difficult to find land to construct government schools, hospitals and other infrastructure. He had earlier raised this issue with elected representatives but is writing to them again to identify government properties in their constituencies.
Ashoka is travelling across the state to take part in “Jilladhikari Nade Halli Kade”, where he stays in a village and listens to woes of residents. During such outings, he learnt that there is a shortage of land for schools, colleges, anganwadis, graveyards, playgrounds, health centres and many such facilities. He had earlier written to all MLAs and MPs to identify government land for building essential infrastructure. “But none of them replied. I am going to write again,” he told TNIE.
“The price of land is shooting up, and the government cannot buy properties at such high prices. This is the time to save land for the future. Either the land has been encroached by individuals or organisations or it is being used for different purposes. We seek the support of legislators as they know their constituencies better,” he added.
Encroachment a big issue
Revenue Department sources said that in many places, land has been encroached in the name of farming. “They have occupied hilltops, lake sides and forest land. It is challenging to vacate them. If we do that, they will brand the government and officials anti-farmer. These people are not farmers, but encroachers,” they added. Over 2,000 villages in the state do not have graveyards, while many others lack proper roads. All these issues are because of lack of land, they added.