Won’t deny there is corruption in department, says Minister

A long-held experience of the common man in dealing with revenue officials was admitted by Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Wednesday as he acknowledged that there is corruption in his department.

The Minister was also quick in clarifying: “Not all officers are corrupt. I will also not deny that there is corruption. In a number of cases, officers have colluded in creating fake documents that will enable encroachment of gomala land.”

His comments in the Legislative Council came in response to a question posed by Congress member Yathindra Siddaramaiah, who had asked about bagair hukum cultivation and delay in providing khata for farmers who have received cultivating certificate owing to corruption.

When the Leader of Opposition Chalavadi Narayanaswamy tried to point out to the allegation by the Chief Minister’s son on corruption in the lower rung of the Revenue Department, the Minister hit back at him and said: “It is not good to bring party politics here. Lakhs of khata applications are pending. Should I tell you that corruption at lower level is owing to the previous government. It (corruption) is a reality and we all have to accept it.”

Red flag encroached properties

Meanwhile, responding to a question from Janata Dal (Secular) member T.A. Sharavana on the encroachment of government land in various places, Mr. Gowda said that he had asked the administration to conduct a drive to remove encroachments for two days every week. He said: “We will also red flag encroached properties to prevent further transactions. There is no one way to remove encroachments. Legal amendments are being done. As far as possible we are removing encroachments.”

The Minister acknowledged that the officials are colluding with encroachers by creating fake documents or partial documents based on which courts orders are being obtained. “Those who know the law are the ones breaking it.”