Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Nov 5: "Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister, B Ramanath Rai, has encroached upon land in Bantwal constituency which he represents, at three places. I urge either district administration or Anti Corruption Bureau to investigate this issue and take action against the guilty," demanded expelled Congress leader, Harikrishna Bantwal.
Exhibiting certain documents in support of his allegation at a press conference held at Press Club here on Saturday November 4, Bantwal clarified that he has not been seeking the minister's resignation on this issue. "Being in a responsible position, the miniser was not right in getting government land registered in his favour through fake identity. I request him to distribute the land so usurped to poor people," he demanded.
Bantwal said that he is coming out with allegations against Rai publicly with inordinate delay as he was unable to do so when in Congress. He claimed that he has been receiving threatening letters from Congressmen who are angry with him for questioning Rai's behaviour in using abusive language against former union minister, B Janardhana Poojary. "I have realized now that sitting quiet is not a a sane option. Rai has got 2.04 acres of government land under survey no. 20/2 in Mani village and one acre under surveyNo. 38/2 wrongly sanctioned for himself. A total of 3.04 acres have been annexed by him wrongly in violation of law in the name of his wife. In the sanction letter too, the beneficiary's name has been mentioned as Shaila R Rai at one place and Dhanabhagya R Rai in another, with the tacit aim of cheating the government," he alleged.
Harikrishna Bantwal stated that Rai, who married in 1986, has permanent residence at Kallige village, where he has his own house. But in the application for land, Rai had falsely declared to be having own house at Mani, he said, adding that Rai had applied for regularization of land in the name of his wife in 1999 and got it sanctioned in 2001. He said that Rai had made a mention of this property in the affidavit attached to election nomination papers but those who applied for land along with him, who belong to minority community, got only five cents of land each. "As the local MLA presided over Akrama Sakrama Samithi, it is likely that the revenue officials were obliged to bending to the whims and fancies of the minister," he explained.
Bantwal further said that out of 30.69 acres of government land standing in survey No. 97/1 in Kallige, fence has been erected around ten acres of land which is irrigated and rubber plantation has come up in this land. Pointing out that this place is located within the earshot of Rai's residence, he wanted the officials to inquire into who owns this property, and get the encroachment cleared immediately. He also asked Ramanath Rai to provide clarification publicly on all these encroachments.
Leaders, Sudhakar Boloor, Suresh Kotian, and Ranjit, were present at the press conference.