BENGALURU: Industries Minister MB Patil on Monday said 12 acres of land sanctioned to Ksiroda India Private Limited, a company linked to actress Ranya Rao, accused in a gold smuggling case, has not been officially allocated since the company failed to make the prescribed payment.
The decision to allot 12 acres to the firm at the Sira Industrial Area in Tumakuru was taken during the 137th State Level Single Window Clearance Committee (SLSWCC) meeting held on January 2, 2023.
The BJP was in power in the state at that point in time and Congress came to power in May 2023.
The minister told the media in Bengaluru that since the company did not remit the required amount within the stipulated time, the land has not been officially handed over.
The company had submitted a proposal to set up a manufacturing unit for steel TMT bars, rods, and allied products, with an investment of Rs 138 crore. The project was expected to generate approximately 160 jobs.
BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai demanded a thorough investigation to identify those involved in the illegal gold smuggling network linked to Ranya. The former CM clarified that during his tenure, the allocation of land to the company where Ranya was a director never reached the CM’s level.
“Whenever entrepreneurs seek land, we follow the necessary agreements. A Land Audit Committee, comprising the principal secretary and senior officials, evaluates and recommends land allocation based on business needs. Projects worth up to Rs 500 crore are decided at the ministerial level and do not reach the CM. In my tenure, this issue did not come up. The allocation is done through the Single-Window Proceeding under the leadership of the industries minister. Once land is allotted, a notice is issued for payment. Since payment was not made, the land was not handed over,” the former CM stated.
Bommai said numerous applications for land are submitted in the interest of industrial development. The current government has also allocated land worth thousands of crores. No one can predict future criminal activities. The probe into the actress smuggling gold illegally from Dubai is ongoing and it must be conducted in all dimensions, and the culprits must be punished, he said.
