Urban News

The Hindu 16.07.2009

Hassan CMC president faces disqualification threat

Staff Correspondent

Short-lived? A file photo of Nethravathi assuming charge as president of Hassan City Municipal Council.

HASSAN: Rebel Congress councillor Nethravathi Girish, who was elected president of Hassan City Municipal Council, is facing a threat of disqualification for violation of whip. The Bharatiya Janata Party has filed a petition before Deputy Commissioner seeking her disqualification under the anti-defection law. She was to hold office for the remaining period of 12 months if all went well.

Election to the post was held following resignation of Ratnamma Mahantesh, who was elected president in February 2008. Nethravathi secured 22 votes, including the vote of MLA H.S. Prakash, while Annapoornamma of the BJP secured five votes. Nine councillors did not vote. In Municipalities, term of each president and vice-president is for a period of 30 months. Hassan CMC was to elect president from OBC (A) and vice-president from general category.

Ms. Nethravathi is a Congress candidate that has 11 members in the council. The Congress issued whip to its councillors not to contest election and also to not to vote in the election of president. Despite this, five councillors who came out of Congress and formed Hassan Nagarika Paksha, gave a representation to the Commissioner to treat them as a separate group. The Janata Dal (Secular) that has 19 votes, including that of Mr. Prakash, and three rebels voted for Nethravathi.

During Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader and former CMC president Chennaveerappa joined the Janata Dal (Secular) and supported H.D. Deve Gowda. In return, Mr. Gowda assured president’s post to Ms. Nethravathi, who is the daughter-in-law of Mr. Chennaveerappa and was elected as Congress candidate. To facilitate Ms. Nethravathi to assume office, Ms. Ratnamma submitted her resignation last month to pave the way for the election of new president.

In the 35-member council, the Janata Dal (Secular) has 18 members, Congress (11) and BJP (6).

The Congress issued whip to all 11 councillors not to participate in election and not to vote for anybody since it was not fielding any candidate.

Among the Hassan Nagarikara Paksha, Mr. Venkatesh did not vote while Aijaz Pasha remained absent, so also other Congress councillors.

Following this, BJP councilors Prasanna Kumar and K.T. Prakash Dasappa filed a petition before the Deputy Commissioner seeking disqualification of Ms. Nethravathi, Ambika and Vijaya Kumar as they did not resign from Congress and violated the whip issued by that party.

The Hindu 16.07.2009

9,033 acres of encroached land recovered: Minister

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: The Government has recovered 9,033.37 acres of the 33,878 acres encroached land in Bangalore Urban district in compliance with the recommendations of the A.T. Ramaswamy Committee’s preliminary report, Minister for Revenue G. Karunakara Reddy told the Legislative Council on Wednesday.

Replying to M. Srinivas (JD-S), Mr. Reddy said it was wrong to interpret that the Government could recover only 25 per cent of the encroached land in the district as the rest was either entangled in legal disputes or in Akrama-Sakrama issue, or was under the Government’s consideration for utilising them for civic amenity purposes. However, the Government would make all efforts to recover the entire land, he said.

Of the recovered land, the Government auctioned 559.29 acres and earned revenue of Rs. 532.2 crore.

However, the Government was yet to realise Rs. 252.41 crore from the bidders, and had issued notices to them, he explained.

Questioning the tardy progress in recovering all the encroached land, M.C. Nanaiah (JD-S), V.R. Sudarshan ( Congress) and others urged Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, who was present in the House, to exercise political will and free the State from the real estate mafia.

He suggested that the Government constitute two House committees, on the lines of the A.T. Ramaswamy Committee which automatically got itself dissolved after the President’s rule was imposed, to pursue the unfinished task of the erstwhile committee.

Replying to Mallajamma (Congress) on regularising revenue sites and the structures on such land, Mr. Reddy said an amendment Bill seeking regularisation of such properties was awaiting the approval of the Lower House. The Government was hopeful that the Bill would have a smooth passage, he added.