Karnataka cabinet sub-committee on sale of land to JSW Steel formed
Bengaluru, Jun 26: The Karnataka government has constituted a four-member cabinet sub-committee headed by state Home Minister M B Patil to examine the proposal regarding the sale of 3,667 acres land to JSW Steel at Ballari and make a suitable recommendation.
The other members of the cabinet sub-committee include Cooperation Minister Bandeppa Kashempur, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Krishna Byre Gowda and Social Welfare Priyank Kharge.
The Karnataka cabinet had recently decided to convert the lease of 3,667 acres to JSW Steel at Ballari into sale, in accordance with the initial agreement.
However, amid a row over the decision that drew opposition from various quarters, also the BJP and within, the cabinet once again discussed the issue on June 14 and decided to refer it to a cabinet sub-committee.
Accusing the government of selling the land to the company at a throwaway price (Rs 1.22-1.50 lakh per acre), the BJP had held a two-day round-the-clock sit-in.
State BJP president B S Yeddyurappa has even accused the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition of getting "kickbacks" for the sale of land.
Causing embarrassment to the coalition, senior Congress leader H K Patil has been opposing the sale by writing a series of letters to the government.
He has maintained that the company had been accused of illegal mining and that it owed dues to the government and state-run Mysore Minerals Ltd.
Amid the row, JSW Steel chairman and managing director Sajjan Jindal had said the firm never does anything "illegal" or "disadvantage" to the people of Karnataka.
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Drug peddler's property worth Rs 1 crore attached in Srinagar
Srinagar (PTI): Property worth Rs 1 crore belonging to a notorious drug peddler was on Saturday attached in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar, police said.
A double-storey house on eight marlas of land situated at Wantpora Eidgah, belonging to Basit Bilal Dar, a notorious drug peddler, valued at approximately Rs 1 crore, a police spokesperson said.
He said Dar is involved in two cases registered under various sections of the NDPS Act.
During investigation, it was established that the accused had acquired the said property through illicit proceeds generated from drug trafficking activities, the spokesperson said.
Consequently, the property was attached under the provisions of the NDPS Act. The attachment proceedings were conducted in the presence of the two independent witnesses, strictly in accordance with the prescribed legal procedures, he said.
As per the attachment order, the owner has been restrained from selling, leasing, transferring, altering, or creating any third-party interest in the property till further orders, the spokesperson added.
