Somanna son got out-of-turn site

Norm violation

Days after Deccan Herald exposed that Union Minister Mallikarjun Kharge’s daughter Priyadarshini had availed a housing society site in violation of norms, documents related to Naveen having availed a site in contravention of the Model House Building Co-operative Society Bye-laws and selling it illegally has surfaced.

According to documents in possession of Deccan Herald, Naveen was allotted a site measuring 2,400 sq ft (number 144) by Bapuji House Building Co-operative Society (BHBCS) on June 14, 1999, four days after he had paid Rs 3,70,000 as site deposit and barely three months of him joining as a member on March 3, 1999­­.

However, his allotment was out of turn as there were over 100 society members who had joined and paid the site deposit as early as 1973 but not allotted plots.

Unlike the normal procedures followed, Naveen did not even mentioned his father’s name (Somanna) in the sale deed while availing the site. But he mentioned his father’s name while selling the site and assured the buyer that he would, using his own ‘resources’, resolve any problem that might arise in connection with the site.

According to M Kumarswamy, the GPA holder for his mother (H G Soubhagyamma, 68 yrs) who is a member of the society deprived of a site despite her seniority, “Naveen was only 21 years of age when the site was allotted to him and his father (V Somanna) was already a powerful politician who exercised his power to get the site allotted by depriving many people like my mother sites.”

Kumaraswamy also claims that the then board of the society was ‘controlled’ by Somanna and that there were almost 14 more sites allotted to his kin because he wielded clout. “He was holding the portfolio of urban development minister at that time,” Kumaraswamy said. However, there was no confirmation of who these people are and when they got their sites allotted.

The current president of the society, G Subramani, said: “The society was formed to provide sites to the poor and needy who cannot purchase land at market value. But in this case it was out in the public for the people to decide if this person was, even at the time of the allotment, needy.”

Subramani claimed the said site was allotted to Naveen in violation of the society bye-laws and appeared as if it was purchased only as an asset that could be sold for profit.

In line with Subramani’s argument, documents show that Naveen actually sold the site just three years after it was allotted to him — May 15, 2002 — to B K Narasimhaiah for more than the amount he had paid to get the plot.

The prescribed norms prevent a member from selling a site allotted to her/him before five years.

When contacted V Somanna he said: “By that time my son was a major (over 18 years) and by virtue of that I will not comment on anything.” He also refused to divulge the whereabouts of his son or his contact details.