Large and Medium Industries Minister M.B. Patil said on Tuesday that farmers in some areas received double compensation for land acquired through the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) during the previous government’s tenure, due to errors by officials.
Responding to JDS member S.L. Bhojegowda in the Legislative Council, Mr. Patil said that in Dharwad district’s Kelageri, Mummigatti, Kotur and Belur industrial areas, over ₹19.99 crore was paid twice, involving both landowners and officials. The Enforcement Directorate is probing the matter; one accused is in jail, and excess amounts will be recovered.
Similarly, in Ramanagara district’s Bannikuppe village, ₹1.58 crore was paid twice for the same land. A case is pending in the High Court, with ₹75 lakh deposited by the landowner. Disciplinary action has been recommended against the officials involved, he said.
Kadugodi farmland dispute
Opposition leader in the Legislative Council, Chaluvadi Narayanaswamy, raised the issue of farmland in the Kadugodi Plantation area of Bengaluru being classified as forest land. Farmers are already being displaced, and suddenly declaring it as forest land will cause more problems, he said.
