According to the Karnataka Government Land Protection Task Force, which is preparing a report on the Government land encroachment, the total extent of encroachment may touch 10 lakh acre if information from the remaining five districts -- Bangalore rural, Ramanagar, Shimoga, Davanagere and Bidar -- is included.
The Task Force headed by former bureaucrat V Balasubramanian, is also gathering information on the name and background of encroachers and total loss to the Government. The report is likely to be ready by February-end. Instructions have been issued to all Deputy Commissioners to provide the required information.
As per the available information, 5.02 lakh acre of Revenue land (including Gomala and burial ground) and 2.37 lakh acre of Forest land have been encroached. Nearly 2 lakh acre of land belonging to various local bodies and departments has been grabbed.
Bangalore main target
In Bangalore alone, which is considered as paradise of land mafia, around 35,881 acre Government land worth nearly Rs 65,000 crore has been gobbled. An estimated 2 lakh acre has been found to have been encroached in the Bangalore Division, excluding Bangalore rural and Ramanagar districts. Real estate rate is one of the highest in Bangalore rural and Ramanagar.
Balasubramanian said nearly 95 per cent of the encroachment cases are very old. Though information was available with the respective departments about the encroachment, no action has been taken so far to recover the land.
The Land Revenue Act has a provision to take strict action against encroachers. Criminal cases can be filed against those who have grabbed Government land. In many cases of encroachment, the local officials of Revenue department are also involved. “Now we have taken up the work to investigate these cases and recover the land,” he stated.
He said directions have been issued to all Tahasildars to send action taken report on all old cases of encroachment by February 28. Besides, the Task Force has been receiving a large number of complaints in this regard from public. So far, it has received 465 complaints.
Help of local police
Balasubramanian said the Task Force will start recovering the encroached land soon after it establishes that the particular piece of land belongs to the Government. It will take the help of local police in recovering the land, he added.
DH News Service
