Dinesh Gundurao land case: Ayukta seeks DC report

Bengaluru: Following the Bengaluru North (Yelahanka) Tahsildar submitting a report stating that the Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dinesh Gundurao and his family members have encroached 10.09 acres of government land at Navaratna Agrahara near the Kempe Gowda International Airport, the Lokayukta, Justice Y Bhaskar Rao, has directed the Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner to submit a factual report in five weeks.

The Lokayukta told reporters here on Tuesday that the DC has been directed to review the report submitted the Tahsildar and submit a factual report soon.

“As the report given by the Tahsildar lacks clarity, I have written to the DC to go through it and submit a factual report in five weeks time,” Mr Rao added.

He said that the report submitted by the Tahsildar stated that Minister Dinesh Gundurao and his family members have encroached 10.09 acres of public land in survey numbers 3 and 13 in Jaala hobli in Bengaluru North taluk.

“He has also stated in the report that minister’s aunt Jamuna has 17.22 acres in her name in the locality and there is no clarity on whether it’s a government property. Thus, he has issued a notice to her,” the Lokayukta said.

Founder President of National Committee for Protection of Natural Resources (NCPNR) S.R. Hiremath had released the documents pertaining to the case in April early this year.

He had alleged that as per the A.T. Ramaswamy Committee Report, the extent of land encroached upon was 47.16 acres and it valued over Rs 125 crore. He had also complained to the Governor and the Lokayukta.

The Lokayukta had directed the anti-corruption agency’s police wing to probe the case. The police had written to the Bengaluru North Tahsildar Balappa Handigunda, following which he submitted an interim report confirming encroachment of 5 acres in survey number 3 and 5.09 acres in survey number 13.
 
Tweet by Gundurao
 “Govt claimed all lands belong to them. We filed case and by 2012 they agreed that 47 acres belong to us. Then I asked them to survey.

This year they surveyed and demarcated our boundaries and took back the excess, which we have been requesting the govt to do. Then govt said all the land is theirs.

We filed case and govt agreed on our titles. Survey was done and our boundaries were marked. These lands were bought by my dad in 1983, when it hardly had any value, in fact the Phodi (issuing sub-number after survey) of the survey nos yet to be done. Why is the issue being raised when it has followed the legal process.

It’s for the govt to decide as we have already accepted it's not ours and neither made any commercial use of it. By demarcating our lands I can at least have clear titles and develop it. This action is exactly what our family wanted.”