From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jul 25: With the State Government and the Bangalore Development Authority mired in controversies over the ''indiscriminate" allotment of 'G' Category sites to MLAs and other politically powerful persons in the recent past, the State Government has stopped alloting prime residential plots in the city under its discretionary quota through the Bangalore Development Authority, Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar declared in the State Assembly on Wednesday.
Responding to a question raised during zero hour in the Legislative Assembly, he said the entire process of allotment under G category has been stopped from May 19 of this year."
Under the prescribed norms for distribution of 'G' category sites, he said persons in public life with significant contribution to society were eligible for preferential allotment of sites through BDA but its no secret that successive governments have sanctioned them to ''others" as well making the quota controversial.
Giving information he obtained under the RTI route, Independent member and former minister Goolihatti D Shekar said 867 persons had been allotted 'G' category sites in prime residential localities in the past ten years, including journalists and ''even house servants" of the Chief Minister or other ministers.
''Despite the High Court order of December 15, 2010, stipulating that the Government has no authority to allot 'G' category sites, sites have been brazenly allotted to 48 persons after the order without even fearing that it will attract contempt of court proceedings," he said.
Shekar said each of these stray sites has a market-value of Rs 10 crore and the Government can earn an income of Rs 300 crore to Rs 400 crore if it recovers them.
''If Government cancels allotments made in the past 10 years, it can get revenue of thousands of crores of rupees," he said.
CM to Press Centre on Loan Waiver on Farm Loans
Replying to JD(S) leader H D Revanna in the Assembly, the Chief Minister said the State Government would press the Union Government to direct nationalised banks to waive farm loans of up to Rs 25,000 including interest following severe drought faced by the State.
"We have to press the Centre to waive the loans (up to Rs 25,000)," Shettar said accepting the suggestion made by Revanna, who stressed the need to adopt a unanimous resolution in this regard.
The Chief Minister had on Tuesday announced waiver of agricultural cooperative society loans up to Rs 25,000, including interest, of farmers between August 1 2011 and June 30 this year.
This special package for farmers benefiting 16 lakh farming families would incur an expenditure of Rs 3,500 crore, which would be sanctioned by the Government as grant, Shettar had said.
Congress and JD(S) members made a strong plea to expand the period from April last year to July 23 and also give the benefit to farmers who had already repaid their loans.
They argued that the farmers had taken loans from April last year itselfand they cannot be deprived of the benefit.
''I am open (to the idea)," Shettar said adding he would consider their suggestions while replying to discussion on finance bill, as also at the time of issuing a government order on the package.
He promised to discuss the issue with Finance Department officials on the implications the suggestion.