According to a report prepared by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) titled ‘Grant, Lease, Eviction of Encroachment and Regularisation of Unauthorised Occupation of Government Land’, over two dozen beneficiaries, which includes the Congress party, have received 117 acres of government land in violation of government rules.
The report, which was tabled in the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka on December 17, 2018, examined a random sample of data from 30 Taluks in 11 districts during the period 2012-13 to 2016-17.
Although the Karnataka Land Grant Rules, 1969, does not allow the grant of land to political parties, the Karnataka Government had granted 60 guntas to the Congress party, in order to construct its office in Channapatna in October 2015.
Under the same rule, the land allotment for residential purpose is also prohibited, however, it was reported that 15 acres of the government’s land was given to the Karnataka Government Secretariat Group-D Employees Association in the Bengaluru North.
The CAG report further mentioned certain discrepancies regarding the disposal of applications seeking the grant of land, monitoring of land use, eviction of encroachments and inventory management, which provides the database of lands available.
The auditors found that in around 10 cases, 390.38 acres of land was granted despite “incorrect or incomplete verification” of the status of these lands. It was further revealed that 89 acres of land in areas such as, Bengaluru (Urban), Ballari, Mysuru and Ramanagara districts which were encroached were granted by the Karnataka government to the encroachers itself.
In addition to this, the audit also revealed that the Government had in over 51 cases, provided “ineligible” concession in land price, amounting to Rs 176.01 crore. The beneficiaries include Matha Amritanandamayi Math, Srinivasa Educational and Charitable Trust, Sri Janaseva Vishwastha Mandali (all Bengaluru).
