Bengaluru: Social activist S.R Hiremath said the state government should bring systemic reforms and work towards fixing accountability at various levels in order to prevent mass encroachments by government agencies like the BDA.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, he said that the first step in this direction would be to hold all public officials responsible for the protection who aided past encroachments in lake beds.
Mr. Hiremath said, “The Section 192-A of Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964, specifically provides for imprisonment for three years and Rs 10,000 when a public servant entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining record or entrusted with reporting unlawful conversion to the competent authority fails to report to the competent authority or to initiate action against unlawful conversion of revenue lands for non-agricultural purposes.”
The state government should expedite the setting up of special courts provided for under the Karnataka Land Grabbing (Prohibition) Act 2007 to try cases of land grabbing and ensure the strict implementation of the provisions of this Act, Mr. Hiremath said.
