Lokayukta could probe Chamundi Hills land scam

MYSORE: The Chamundi Hills land scam could be investigated by the Lokayukta.
Contending that the CID inquiry will not unearth the whole truth, activist M Lakshmana on Saturday said he is approaching the anti-graft agency seeking a probe. He has named IAS officer P S Vastrad and Mysore tahasildar for the scam.
He questioned BJP MLC G Madhusudana, who accused Vastrad of succumbing to real estate lobby and named his colleague and district minister S A Ramdas in the scam."The MLC is fighting the case since August. Why didn't he move the Lokayukta as it is the agency to deal with corruption? I'm approaching the anti-graft agency," he told reporters. He accused Vastrad and the tahasildar of delisting some 2,000 acres land at the foothills of Chamundi Hills.
The CID probe the government has ordered is an eyewash and is time buying tactics adopted by Ramdas and the government. How many cases assigned to the CID have been cracked? It is common knowledge that CID is used by the political leaders to suit their needs, he asserted seeking a probe by senior IAS officer, who, he said, is well aware of the land documents and related issues. The government should order probe by a sitting judge, he stated. According to him, Lokayukta has officials drawn from other departments including revenue and land records, who are aware of the scale and extent of the scam.
This comes a day after the government cancelled appointment of Vastrad as deputy commissioner of Chamarajnagar district and shifted him to the food and civil supplies department as its additional director. It also cancelled transfer of N Jayaram and continued him as Chamarajnagar DC.
Accusing the religious bodies of encroaching or illegally acquiring land at the foothills, Lakshmana said 16 prominent politicians, six of them from Mysore, are involved in the scam eyeing big chunk of the land at the site. But he refused to name them saying he is procuring documents to establish their complicity.