Officials misusing Land Revenue Act: Minister

The state government on Wednesday conceded to the fact that the provisions of Sections 79(A) and (B) under the Karnataka Land Revenue Act was being misused by certain officials.

Replying to a question by BJP MLC Y A Narayanaswamy in the Legislative Council, Revenue Minister R V Deshpande said that the said provisions, meant for conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural use, was being misused and that it had become an “open secret”.

He said that the officials were found to be making money, and in turn harassing people. Though there were Supreme Court and High Court judgments stressing that the provisions of the Act be
implemented within a stipulated period of time, there had been instances where these Sections had been invoked after eight or 10 years for reasons unknown, the minister said.

When the BJP and the ruling party members demanded that the government repeal the Sections, Deshpande said that such a thing could happen only through a legislation.

He said that once the Cabinet sub-committee, which had been constituted to look into the defective sections, submitted its report to the Cabinet, the government would take a call on the matter.