Channapatna CMC site scam: Lokayukta for criminal case

The Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao has recommended criminal proceedings against officials responsible for irregularities in allotment of hundreds of sites in Channapatna City Municipality limits.

Justice Rao has also recommended appointment of an officer not below the rank of deputy commissioner in Department of Municipal Administration for rectifying anomalies such as tampering the allotment register, striking out the old names and inserting new names of the allottees in the allotment register and not preserving the important documents.

The State government had referred the inquiry into the allotment of sites formed in Honniganahalli and Mangalwarpet. The Lokayukta had taken up an investigation under Section 9 (3) of the Lokayukta Act. The probe revealed that important documents with regard to the acquisition of lands, formation of layouts, selection of beneficiaries, payment of cost of the sites and crediting of these amounts to City Municipal Corporation (CMC) were eaten by white ants and also caught fire due to negligence.

There were no records available so far as allotment of 261 sites are concerned. The Investigating Officer (IO) appointed by the Lokayukta submitted that though 474 sites were formed in Mangalwarapet, Urban Development Authority had not approved layout plan for the entire 474 sites. The investigation also revealed that the CMC had effected 551 khatas in the same layout. In Honniganahalli, still 185 sites were to be allotted in Honniganahalli and there were serious irregularities.

The report stated that Municipal Commissioners of Channapatna from 1995 to 2013 - Hulluraiah, Jayanna, H M Shivannagowda, Sadashivappa, Shivanna, Siddaraju, G Chandrappa (all retired now), and Tippesh, who is presently Commissioner of Hubli-Dharwad Urban Development Authority, failed to protect the properties of municipalities. Lokayukta recommended disciplinary action, besides criminal proceedings, against Tippesh, since others have retired.

“Inconvenience has been caused to the public by non-issuance of extracts of form number 3 and also by correcting the names in the register by issuing hakkupatras (title deeds). It is necessary to lodge a criminal case against persons who are responsible for effecting fake khatas and for tampering the allotment register,” the report stated.

The Lokayukta has directed the government to submit the action taken report within three months, after the officer not below the rank of DC in Department of Municipal Administration inspects the layouts and fix the boundaries. The Lokayukta has recommended the government to entrust the disciplinary proceedings against Tippesh to Lokayukta under Section 14-A of Lokayukta Act.