JOIN USFake survey number created to favour Jadhav's mother
The issue of Karnataka Chief Secretary Aravind Jadhav’s reported involvement in a government land deal in Bengaluru Urban district is getting murkier.
It has now emerged that the revenue authorities in Bengaluru Urban district had illegally created a new survey number –29/1– at Ramanayakanahalli of Sarjapur hobli in Anekal taluk. The Anekal tahsildar had not followed the procedure laid down for creating the new survey number.
A new sketch of the new survey number indicating the extent of land with the names of owners, and the modified sketch of the old survey number indicating the extent of land left, have to be prepared as per the procedure. But the tahsildar had reportedly flouted the procedure to favour certain private individuals, including Tarabai Maruthirao Jadhav, the mother of Aravind.
Sources in the Revenue Department said the tahsildar had deleted survey number 29 and amalgamated all RTCs (Record or Rights Tenancy and Crops) coming under it with the newly created survey number. The name of Tarabai figures in the RTCs pertaining to the illegally created survey number 29/1. However, the Bhoomi software showed error at the time of conducting the ‘Podi’ process. A major portion of 76.36 acres of land on survey number 29 was government land.
Sources in the government said Bengaluru Urban District Deputy Commissioner (DC) V Shankar had on January 14 this year directed the Assistant Commissioner (AC), Bengaluru South, to create a single request ‘Darkasth Podi’ in favour of Tarabai. But the revenue authorities later found that the entire grant file was missing. Then the DC, on March 22, ordered rebuilding of records.
The Anekal tahsildar had amalgamated the RTCs and deleted the survey number based on a letter dated March 15 by the AC. As per the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, the DC has to issue an order for creating a new survey number.
The illegality came to light when IAS officer and former commissioner of Survey Settlement and Land Records (SSLR) Munish Moudgil recently wrote to the government in this regard.
Moudgil, who is now the Managing Director of Rajiv Gandhi Rural Housing Corporation, has complained in the letter that he was “prematurely” transferred as SSLR commissioner after he raised an alarm over the land deals pertaining to survey number 29.
“The extent of government land on survey 29 would have reduced to 8 acres 20 guntas from the original 76 acres 36 guntas if the process initiated by the tahsildar was completed. In the circumstances, this would have been illegal leading to loss of government land worth crores of rupees,” he stated.
Report submitted
The Bengaluru Urban district authorities have submitted a report to Principal Secretary, Revenue Department, E V Ramana Reddy, on the issue. Sources in the district administration said they did not find anything wrong in the land purchased by Jadhav’s mother.
“The land in question was a pasture land granted to a farmer. About 14-15 years ago, Jadhav’s mother had purchased it. There was some glitch in the Bhoomi software as an asterisk was put there preventing its ‘Podi’. This led to confusion,” said an officer in the district administration.
This apart, the Anti-Corruption Bureau sleuths went to Kandaya Bhavan, the office of Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner V Shankar and gathered files related to Jadhav’s land transaction.
Plaint on land dealing
Superintendent of Police, Laburam, said, “It was not a raid. We received a complaint about the land dealing. So, in this regard, we asked the district authorities to provide us documents, which they obliged.” He said the documents will be studied to initiate any further action.
DH News Service