Daijiworld Media Network-Bengaluru (RJP)
Bengaluru, Sep 22: JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy has come up with an allegation against major and medium Industries Minister R V Deshpande. He said "177 acres and 48 gunta of forest land in Jakkur Allalasandra in the Bengaluru North sub-division worth hundreds of crores has been encroached upon by Deshpande and prominent builders."
Kumaraswamy was addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on Monday September 21.
Kumaraswamy said that the mentioned land in Jakkur Allalasandra was a 'reserved forest' as per provisions of the Karnataka Forest Act of 1963 and the assistant range forest officer (ARFO) from Bengaluru north sub-division had clarified the same in his letter to the assistant commissioner of Bengaluru north.
The ARFO had also stated in the letter that the revenue department should take steps to classify the said land as reserved forest in RTC and mutations.
Kumaraswamy said the land had been claimed by 50 persons including 'Radha and R V Deshpande', whom he suspected to be R V Deshpande and his associates or family. He also accused prominent builders including Sobha, Mantri and Century developers of encroaching the said land.
It should be remembered that a total of 50 ‘claimants’ on July 15 had been served notices by the Assistant Commissioner, Bengaluru North to prove that they were the title holders of the land with relevant documents.
Kumaraswamy also released the copies of official communications between chief conservator of Forests (Regional) Bengaluru to principal chief conservator of forests dated August 1 wherein it is stated that the range forest officer, Yalahanka had failed to appear for the site inspection by the forest department. He said that houses, apartments and other structures have already come up on the land.
Kumaraswamy added that as per the stamps and registration department fixing the guidance value in Allalasandra at Rs 22,000 per square feet, the total worth of the 177 acre of land stood at Rs 14,000 crore.
R V Deshpande, Shobha inner technophone represented by Meera Raghavan, Jakkur Aerodrome, Karnataka state judicial employees’ house building co-operative society, Shobha inner city technopolis, H R Suresh, Raj Gopal, S Veeranna, M N Mahadevaiah have been served notices regarding the encroachment.
Deshpande denies allegations
R V Deshpande meanwhile denied the allegations saying that the statement made H D Kumaraswamy is baseless.
"Kumaraswamy has made allegations which are not true. I or my family have not encroached any land. If he has any proof, then he should prove it in public. The said land was given to people who had lost lands in other places 65 years back. After the said lands were sold and transferred to several people, and only after making sure that it has been converted for no agricultural purpose, we bought the land strictly according to law."