Mysore/Mysuru: Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has announced that a concerted effort will be undertaken to clear encroachments on Government lands, including lakes, throughout the State, starting from Bengaluru.

“I have asked officials to prepare a preliminary list of Government lands that have been encroached by land sharks, at the earliest, and instructed them to conduct eviction drives every weekend,” he said.

He made this statement while speaking to the media during a progress review meeting of the Revenue Department in Mysuru Division. The meeting took place at the Regional Commissioner’s Office on Hunsur Road in the city this morning.

Regarding the ongoing issue of encroachments on Government lands, the Minister stated that discussions were held during separate meetings for Bengaluru Urban and Rural Divisions in Bengaluru. He emphasised the need to pressure officials to remove encroachments and recover the land.

Fencing to be done

As a step toward this, a list of encroached Government assets, including lake areas, has been summoned from officers by the upcoming Saturday. The subsequent actions will be based on a timetable devised by the officers themselves. He further stated that a similar drive to clear encroachments will be carried out across the State.

Besides clearing the encroachments, the officials, through regular weekly meetings, should also take steps to fence the said lands, Krishna Byre Gowda added.

When questioned about potential obstacles that might hinder the clearance of encroachments, the Minister responded by stating that no external pressures are present, as the Chief Minister has granted the freedom to remove encroachments on Government lands. However, the challenge lies in motivating officers to meet monthly targets for the removal of encroachments.

Revenue Adalat

In relation to the reintroduction of the Revenue Adalat, a mechanism in place earlier, the Minister explained that this initiative was introduced by the previous Congress Government. It proved beneficial in resolving land-related disputes for the affected individuals.

The Village Accountants (VA) were empowered to make ad hoc corrections in documents, while more complex cases were addressed at higher levels. He highlighted the significance of division-wise meetings like the one held in the city, underlining that there are still numerous pending cases of land disputes awaiting resolution at the levels of Tahsildars and Assistant Commissioners. The aim is to expedite the resolution of these cases to spare people the burden of daily struggles in their lives. He stressed the need to prepare officers to work within specific time-frames and conduct thorough reviews of individual cases.

The Mysuru Division meeting is being attended by Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners, Tahsildars and other officials associated with the Revenue Department from eight districts, including Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Chikkamagaluru. The meeting is set to conclude this evening.