Bengaluru: Escalating his confrontation with the state govt, Union minister HD Kumaraswamy Thursday directed HMT officials to submit a detailed report on the alleged illegal transfer of 175 acres of HMT land in Bengaluru to private entities, saying further action would be decided after examining the report.Inspecting HMT land parcels where high-rise apartment complexes have come up, Kumaraswamy, accompanied by senior officials from the Union ministry of heavy industries and HMT, alleged that the buildings were constructed on land earmarked for industrial use.Referring to RDPR minister Eshwar Khandre statements on forest encroachments, Kumaraswamy, also JD(S) state president, asked whether he had the courage to recover land now occupied by private apartment complexes.Claiming he halted further alienation of HMT land after becoming CM in 2006, Kumaraswamy said he stopped its sale and registration. He alleged that apartment owners on the disputed land were yet to receive khatas because of unresolved legal issues and said several residents had approached him seeking regularisation.Accusing the state govt of obstructing the proposed HMT revival package, Kumaraswamy alleged that attempts were being made to portray the land as forest land. He maintained that HMT had legally acquired the property between 1958 and 1960 and that it had no connection with the forest department.He urged the state govt to back the HMT revival package, saying detailed project reports had been prepared and efforts were underway to revive the public sector undertaking.Without naming DK Shivakumar, Kumaraswamy alleged that as urban development minister between 1999 and 2004, the current chief minister played a key role in the transfer of HMT land to private entities. “The person now talking about developing Bidadi township is the same person who played a major role in allowing HMT land to pass into private hands,” the Union minister alleged.
