Katta’s son to file defamation case
Bangalore, dhns: A day after the A T Ramaswamy Committee on encroachment of government land put Large and Medium Industries Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu’s son and brother-in-law under the scanner, the Minister’s son has responded with plans to initiate legal action.
Katta Jagadeesh on Wednesday said he would file defamation cases against the Principal Secretary, Revenue Department as well as other officials of the Department for “misleading” the committee.
The joint legislative committee had on Tuesday said three government land survey numbers in Chikkanagamangala and Doddanagamangala (Anekal Taluk), owned by one Jagadish Naidu and Babu Naidu — whom the committee identified as the Minister’s son and brother-in-law respectively — had been encroached.
“The committee has been misled by the Revenue Department officials. The issue has been raised as an effort to tarnish my father’s as well my own reputation,” Jagadeesh said.
Congress asks Katta to quit
Bangalore, dhns: The Congress on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Industries Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu, following the joint House Committee on Government land grabbing naming his son as involved in a land encroachment case.
“Mr Naidu should immediately resign from the Ministry. The case has exposed the true colours of the coalition government,” KPCC President Mallikarjuna Kharge told reporters, after releasing the party manifesto for the upcoming urban local body elections.
Kharge said the mid-term polls are the only way to put an end to the corrupt government. “People of the State want this government to go,” he added.
Truckers welcome decision on sand
Bangalore, DHNS:  Lorry owners and agents in the State have welcomed the government nod to liberalising sand excavation by way of auctioning sand-mining sites.
The Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners and Agents Associations said on Wednesday claimed that the change in government stance was the result of the recent 15-day strike initiated by them, in association with construction material transporters.
They pointed out that prior to the strike, the government had allowed sand excavation only on 20 of the 728 sand-mining locations.