Karnataka - Bangalore

Governor returns Bill

Staff Reporter

Bangalore: Governor T.N. Chaturvedi, through a letter to the Legislative Assembly Speaker and Council Chairman, has returned the Karnataka Land Revenue (Second Amendment) Bill 2005 for reconsideration stating that the Bill did not have measures to protect the heritage property and historical relics.

Tabling the letter in the Assembly, Araga Jnanendra, who was chairing the proceedings on Tuesday, said the Governor had observed that the amendment proposed sought to introduce a new section 69 A — disposal of land or other property belonging to the State Government by public auction.

The Bill contemplates granting sweeping powers to the Government or the authorised officer to dispose of valuable land or other property belonging to the Government under Section 67, or otherwise by public auction. The provision also provides an explanation to the words "valuable land" defining it to be those lands which if auctioned shall fetch values far above the normal value.

Since the Bill did not discriminate and distinguish the heritage properties and historical relics that were to be protected and preserved for posterity and the law in its present form provided for possibility of unrestrained disposal of such properties, it was absolutely essential to take out such historical relics and heritage buildings from the purview of the provisions of the Amendment Act, so that they be protected and preserved for posterity.

Therefore, it was absolutely necessary to include a proviso below the proposed Section 69A to the effect that the main provision did not apply to historical or heritage buildings, the Governor said, Mr. Jnanendra added.

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