Bengaluru, Mar 28 (IANS): A complaint was lodged against former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) here on Monday for allegedly allotting 116.16 acres of government land to an education institution at a throwaway price for setting up a private university denting the state exchequer.
Social activist K.C. Rajanna and a team of advocates have lodged a complaint in this regard with ACB.
The development is considered as a setback to BJP strongman Yediyurappa who is putting all his might to accommodate his son B.Y. Vijayendra in the state cabinet. BJP also needs his unconditional support to win the next general Assembly elections in 2023.
The price of the land located very close to the Bengaluru International Airport and next to the national highway was fixed by the principal Secretary of the previous government at Rs 1.61 crore per acre. The original rate fixed for the land was Rs 186.76 crore. However, 116.16 acres of land has been granted for Rs 50 crore. Yediyurappa, being at the helm had misused his power and caused huge loss to the state exchequer, the complainant Rajanna says.
With this allotment, Yediyurappa has caused a loss of minimum of Rs 136.16 crore to the government, he said.
During the tenure of Yediyurappa, the land belonging to Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) in Haralur and Poolanahalli near Devanahalli in the outskirts of Bengaluru has been allotted to a private party flouting all rules.
It is alleged that the land has been allotted within 30 days after the proposal was submitted. According to rules, in any case of allotment of more than 25 acres, a submission has to be made to the Department of Commerce and Industries. In this case, no guideline has been followed.
Umapathy, the advocate who also filed a complaint stated that the rules of University Grants Commission (UGC) stipulate that 25 acres of land is required for the establishment of a university. "The question is why the submission was made for an allotment of 135 acres of land? Why did Yediyuarappa sanction 116 acres? It is undoubtedly a real estate mafia," he said.
The private university which has been allotted land at throwaway price does not have any experience in the field. There is collusion among influential persons. The complaint has been lodged under the Prevention of Corruption Act with the ACB. The officers have assured that FIR would be lodged after preliminary investigations, advocate Umapathy said.