Chinese firm becomes KIADB beneficiary

It gave to Xindia forest land purchased in violation of rules

The Forest Department owned 19 acres eight guntas of land in survey no.84/A of Kunikeri. The entries in the pahani (Rights and Tenancy Certificate - RTC) for 2004-05 corroborate that the land was part of Gattigayarana forest.

The Tahsildar granted four acres 32 guntas of the land each to four persons, (totalling to 19 acres 08 guntas), regularising their unauthorised cultivation of the forest land.

Eramma Hanumagouda Patil, Peerambi Maulasab, M Rajalakshmi and Lakshmavva were granted the land under the Karnataka Land Revenue Act on June 25, 2004. The grant certificate clearly laid down that the beneficiaries should not alienate/sell the land for 15 years from the date of taking possession.

However, the condition as well as regularisation has not been mentioned in column no.11 (others rights and encumbrances) of the RTC, according to the documents available with Deccan Herald.

Condition violated

In violation of the condition governing the grant, the allottees sold the land to Hampi Industries in 2007-08.

Hampi Industries thus acquired 17 acres 22 guntas of the granted land. Documents reveal that the KIADB, in turn, acquired the said land from Hampi Industries the same year and allotted it to Xindia Steels Limited, a Chinese steel manufacturer.

It has also come to light that survey number 42/A of Kunikeri village (35 acres 23 guntas) too was regularised in a similar way and later alienated in favour of Xindia.

Xindia Steels Limited is a joint venture between Xinxing Heavy Industries Group a part of the Xinxing group of companies, China National Metal Products, Promoters of Sigma Minmet Ltd, The Manasara Group and The Kelachandra Group of India.

The company is setting up a joint venture steel complex in three phases. The first phase will see the construction of a 0.8 million ton pellet plant at Koppal.

‘Mafia at work’

Basavaraj Sheelavantar, a AITUC member alleged ‘irregularity to the tune of crores of rupees’ in allotting forest land for industrial purposes.

He said a mafia has been at work in allotment of illegally acquired land to industries in the district and demanded an a thorough scrutiny of land records since 2004 till date.