Mysuru: On Sept. 30, 2020, the State Government issued a circular instructing all Local Bodies including Urban Development Authorities and Planning Authorities not to directly acquire agricultural land from landowners.

The circular, issued by then Under Secretary C.S. Shivakumaraswamy of the Urban Development Department, stated that it is not appropriate from a planning perspective for local bodies and Urban Development Authorities to directly acquire agricultural land for road development without converting the land and obtaining design approval.

In unavoidable circumstances, local bodies must acquire land through a Relinquishment Deed after obtaining the technical opinions from Assistant Directors of Urban Development Authorities and Planning Authorities and after the district authorities issue a notification under the Revenue Act.

Even if landowners agree, the circular clarifies that a Relinquishment Deed cannot be executed without the Deputy Commissioner’s permission.

Despite these clear instructions, MUDA officials flagrantly disregarded Government orders, orchestrating large-scale corruption. They illegally distributed sites on a 50:50 ratio, registering relinquishment deeds for agricultural land and acquiring it, thus perpetrating a massive fraud.