No action yet on Housing Board compensation scam report

Inquiry report submitted in Oct 2014 recommended probe against KHB officials

Though it has been two months since the Mysuru Lokayukta police submitted an inquiry report on the probe into the Karnataka Housing Board (KHB) compensation scam, the Lokayukta police are yet to register a first information report (FIR). 

The inquiry report submitted in October 2014 had recommended a detailed investigation into the scam against KHB officials, besides JD(S) MLA G T Devegowda’s son G T Harish, brother G T Yaduvar and others.

A few villagers, whose land was acquired for the project, complained to Upa Lokayukta Justice Subhash B Adi when he had visited Mysuru last year. Justice Adi had referred the matter to the Mysore Lokayukta police to hold an inquiry.

The Mysore Lokayukta police had submitted the inquiry report. Since the report had named certain officials who come under the purview of Lokayukta, the report was forwarded to Justice Y Bhaskar Rao.

Sources in the Lokayukta said Justice Rao had directed the Mysuru police to hold further enquiry.

The KHB had acquired 157 acres of land in three villages – Gungralchatra, Yelachanahalli and Kallur Naganahalli Kaval – in Mysore district between 2007 and 2010, when G T Devegowda was the KHB chairman.

Though the housing board had fixed compensation at Rs 30 lakh to Rs 32 lakh per acre, gullible landowners were given only a few lakh rupees, while the rest was swindled by the housing board officials and middlemen, the report stated.

Received threatsMeanwhile, villagers complained to the Upa Lokayukta that they were receiving threats from persons involved in the scam. Justice Adi directed the jurisdictional police to be present.

“Around 20 villagers had come and they complained that the police were not taking any action. The jurisdictional police sub-inspector has not acted on some complaints since the past one year. I have directed the police to speed up the investigation into the alleged threats to villagers whose lands were acquired,” Justice Adi said.

The inquiry report stated that the compensation was disbursed through three branches of Corporation Bank and Syndicate Bank in Mysore. Several bank accounts were opened in a single day at a single branch and money was withdrawn the same day. 

The report pointed out that the bank officials will also have to be questioned since one of the managers was found to be the sole introducer while opening the accounts.