JOIN USBJP digs out 40-yr-old land case to attack CM
The BJP on Saturday demanded that 2.19 acres of land in Hebbal, which it claims was illegally allotted to a company linked to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s son Dr Yathindra, be cancelled and handed over to Arkavathy Layout allottees.
BJP leader B J Puttaswamy released documents to the media pertaining to the case, which dates back to 1977. Puttaswamy said this was the first in a series of scams related to Siddaramaiah that the party will expose once every 2-3 days.
In January last year, 2.19 acres of land on survey numbers 109-114 in Hebbal, which is currently worth Rs 200 crore, was allotted to Shantha Industrial Enterprises in exchange for land acquired from the company in Kethamaranahalli, Mahalakshmi Layout in 1977. The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) had paid Rs 29 lakh as compensation to the company then.
“Dr Yathindra’s friend C M Rajesh Gowda became a partner in Shantha Industrial Enterprises in 2010. In 2014, Dr Yathindra became a director at Matrix Imaging Solutions India Pvt Ltd, a company established by Gowda in 2009,” Puttaswamy said. “It’s clear that the chief minister intervened to get the land allotted to Shantha Industrial Enterprises, although there is no provision for re-allotment or alternative land, that too after 40 years,” he said.
The 2.19 acres was meant for the Arkavathy Layout, Puttaswamy added. “The Chief Minister should immediately drop the allotment of 2.19 acres and hand it over to Arkavathy Layout allottees, who have been waiting for sites for 15 years now. Else, the BJP is ready to wage a legal battle."
Dr Yathindra resigned from Matrix Imaging Solutions last year following allegations of conflict-of-interest because the company had bagged a contract to run a CT and MRI scan laboratory at the state-run Victoria Hospital.