'40 pc of converted land in Udupi uninhabited till date'

Deputy Commissioner Dr M T Reju said that the majority land that has undergone conversion in the period from 1985 to 2012 is desolate as against the purpose of its conversion.

Speaking at a workshop on “the rules and regulations to be followed during the construction of private buildings in the area coming under the jurisdiction of Gram Panchayat” organised by District Administration and Zilla Panchayat, the DC said that most of the land that had undergone conversion was with an aim to construct houses and more than 40 per cent of the land has been uninhabited till date.

Stating that the land conversion has become a trade to earn profits, he said that district administration is working hard to achieve success and transparency in the governance and it has been proved that the district is in forefront in contrast to other districts of the state. The administrators are the ground level workers, he said and called upon the officials to work more effectively in implementing the town and country planning procedures in the district. Mysore has taken up effective steps and stands first in the state in executing the town and country planning measures, he said.

The DC said that after implementing Sakaala, the district has been always graded within fifth place in three months. With nearly 12 lakh population in the district, around one lakh applications are disposed every month in Udupi, he added. ZP CEO Prabhakar Sharma said that in 1999, there was 86,000 hectares of agriculture land in the district and in 2011 it stands at 63,000 hectares. As much as 30,000 hectares of land is utilised for paddy and horticultural growths. About 15,000 hectares of land is undergone conversion for the profit purpose. Buildings without proper planning are constructed in these areas, he said.

Earlier inaugurating the workshop, ZP President Katpadi Shankar Poojary said there should be uniformity in rules and regulations followed in all Gram Panchayats to achieve success.