Land deal: BMTF issues notice to Suresh Kumar

The Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) has issued a notice to the Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development S Suresh Kumar to depose before it in connection with returning of four acres and 20 guntas of land to K Gopinath, brother of a senior RSS functionary.

The land was acquired from Gopinath by the State government way back in 1982 under the Karnataka Urban Land Ceiling Act.

The Force has also served notices on S N Krishnaiah Setty, former Housing Minister, and V P Baligar, the then principal secretary to the chief minister, said BMTF sources.
The minister, along with the two, has to appear before the investigating officer on Thursday.

Allegations

Cases against Suresh Kumar and others were registered based on a complaint filed by social worker Dinesh Kallalli, who alleged that Suresh Kumar had influenced the government to return 4.2 acres of land to Gopinath, brother of K Narahari, a senior RSS functionary.

In 1982, the government acquired 16 acres and 10 guntas of land in excess of the land ceiling limit of 59 acres.

Of the total land acquired by the government, four acres and 20 guntas was given to the Karnataka Slum Development Board (KSDB) in 2003 to construct residential quarters for the economically and socially weaker sections of society.

Kallalli also alleged that when the process to build houses for the urban poor was about to commence, the State government stopped the Slum Development Board from proceeding at the behest of Suresh Kumar, Setty and Baligar and returned the land.

It also set aside the KSDB's objection to the return of land.In addition to it, the State government initiated a move to provide alternative land to Gopinath in a rural area of Bangalore in exchange of 11 acres and 30 guntas of land.