MLA Abhay Patil had identified government open land of 745 acres along Pune-Bengaluru National Highway from Survey No 1304 to 1349 near Kanbargi for establishing IT Park. This was first taken into consideration for the Suvarna Soudha from the Military but SVS was shifted to Halaga and this land now is in the name of the State Govt. They claimed that the land belongs to the State of Karnataka.
Now Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai met Defense Minister and asked for the minister’s intervention in directing the Defence Authorities to hand over the land at the earliest to the Deputy Commissioner in the interest of the development of the region.
In an RTI reply Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has sent a letter, the Defence Estates Officer, Bangalore has submitted all relevant documents related to the ownership of said land by MoD to the District Collector, Belagavi during 2013 in response to the order dated 23.11.2012 passed by the State Govt to take over the said land. In view of the above facts, may I request you to get the land mutated in favor of UOI so that such disputes do not arise in future.”
Letter to Defense Minister –
I am writing you this letter to apprise you and seek your kind intervention to resolve the situation that has arisen in Belagavi with respect to the Government grazing lands in Survey numbers 1304 to 1307, 1324 to 1397 of Tukamatti village of Belagavi measuring a total of 732 acres 24 guntas (as per the Military records 754 acres 33 guntas).
This land which was Government grazing lands under the Bombay Presidency and were assigned to the Military by the Revenue authorities sometimes in 1873. The land was not granted, sold or even leased. This was a mere assignment for few years which was not specified. The Land continued in possession of Army. In the modern context the huge extent of land for grazing is neither required nor desirable as this land is very close to the city. Since the land which was temporarily assigned and continued without any authority with Army after looking into the records the Govt directed the Deputy Commissioner vide GO RD 54 LGL 2011 dt 23.112012 to take back the land as per the Karnataka Land Revenue Act. Accordingly, the Deputy Commissioner after duly servicing notice to the Defence authorities and taking their replies concluded that the Defence authorities have failed to prove that this land was granted, sold or leased, hence they are in unauthorized possession and asked the Defence Authorities to hand over the land back, which the Army Unit at Belagavi is not complying with.
Meanwhile I have received representation from large no of Honorable Members of the Legislature who have sought intervention in this regard so that various public projects as well as land for Industrial purpose can be assigned out of these lands so that the development potential of this most important city of North Karnataka is properly realised.
The situation is such that even for the drinking water and road connectivity projects the Local army authorities are preventing the works and are unlawfully demanding compensation for the land or alternate lands for the “grazing lands” which do not belong to them.
The public interest is getting frustrated in this deadlock. Hence, I seek your kind intervention in directing the Defence Authonties to hand over the land at the earliest to the Deputy Commissioner in the interest of development of the region and to free the land from grazing purpose to the purposes most suitable to the modern society.