Date:21/06/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/21/stories/2007062154250300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Land grabbers may be booked under Goonda’s Act

Staff Reporter

Officials who help land grabbers to be punished

Distinguish between professional land grabbers and poor people
In case of fake documents, seller is liable

BANGALORE: Awaiting approval for the Land Grabbing Bill, the State Government is contemplating initiating action against land grabbers and officials who help land grabbers by registering fake documents, under the Goonda Act.

The directions to the officials in this regard came from Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday following a unanimous appeal by the members as well as A.T. Ramaswamy, Chairman of Joint Legislative Committee to identify land encroachment cases in Bangalore Urban district.

Bill soon

Sources said that Land Grabbing Bill could take a few more months before being approved by the Centre and that action had been sought to be initiated against the land grabbers under the Goonda Act.

“If a few grabbers are booked under the Goonda Act, it will send a strong message to others," sources added.

Mr. Ramaswamy told The Hindu that the committee in its interim report had suggested action against the land grabbers under the Goonda Act, but no action had been taken so far.

Fear factor

“All the members felt that action should be initiated on encroachers to make the committee’s finding effective. Fear should be instilled in grabber,” he added.

He said: “Land grabbers are those who create fake documents and establish the title by registering them. Officials who help such grabbers by registering the documents should also be punished under the Goonda Act.” Further, he said: “In several instances, the land grabber after establishing the title over the land with the help of fake documents would have sold it to gullible public, who in turn would have built houses. In such cases the land grabber should be held responsible rather than those who are occupying such land.”

Suggestion

The committee wants to draw a line between the professional land grabbers and poor people who have been either cultivating the encroached government land or built small houses for a long time, and the Goonda Act would be invoked on the former.