The move comes a day after the state cabinet ordered a judicial probe into allotment of land in the last ten years, that also covers the rule of SM Krishna, now external affairs minister, Dharam Singh and HD Kumaraswamy.
With the opposition and a section in his own party, BJP, baying for his blood, BS Yeddyurappa cancelled on Friday alleged illegal allotment of Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) land to family members and relatives.
The announcement came a day after the beleaguered chief minister decided to institute a judicial probe into all cases of land allotment by various regimes in the past 10 years.
The land surrendered on Friday included a 4,000-sq-ft residential plot in Bangalore’s upscale Raj Mahal Vilas (RMV) extension allotted to Yeddyurappa’s son BY Raghavendra, a BJP Lok Sabha member from Shimoga.
This one of 50ft x 80ft site had caused major embarrassment to the chief minister and BJP as Raghavendra had submitted a “false” affidavit, saying he had no residential property in Bangalore.
The BDA plot was allotted under the chief minister’s discretionary ‘G’ quota, meant for people who achieve eminence in their respective fields but do not own residential property.
Raghavendra and brother BY Vijayendra also surrendered a two-acre prime industrial plot at Jigani Industrial Estate on Bangalore’s outskirts. The plot was allotted to them when Yeddyurappa was deputy chief minister in 2007.
Yeddy’s daughter Umadevi also gave up two acres of industrial land allotted to her near Harohalli after he became chief minister in May 2008. The plots were returned to KIADB, the government agency that acquires land for industrial and other purposes.
Yeddyurappa’s sister and her son and daughter-in-law too surrendered two residential plots at Chandra Layout in Bangalore west.
The land was surrendered after BDA issued orders to the effect on Friday. A BDA official told DNA the orders were issued as per a government directive.
However, neither the state government, nor BDA or KIADB has yet come out with a list of sites allotted to relatives of the chief minister and announced whether all these allotments would be cancelled.
These sites will be auctioned or listed for handing over under ‘G’ category to people in public life. A final decision in this regard will be taken at a board meeting, the BDA official said.
The return of land, however, failed to pacify the opposition.
Former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy of Janata Dal (Secular) and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G Parameshwar demanded, “The chief minister is destroying evidence and tampering with documents to escape legal action. Yeddyurappa should step down to ensure a fair judicial probe into the scam.”
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}