Continuing his campaign against the government’s proposed JSW land sale, senior Congress leader H.K. Patil has now written to M.B. Patil, who heads the Cabinet subcommittee set up to study and re-examine the proposal, to consider his objections before submitting the committee’s recommendations.
On June 5, he had written to Industries Minister K.J. George requesting him not to execute the lease-cum-sale agreement on 3,667 acres with JSW Steel for setting up the Vijayanagar Steel Plant at Toranagallu village in Ballari district.
On arrears
He had asked Mr. George to recover arrears before selling the land. Last week, he had demanded an audit of the land.
In his latest letter, Mr. H.K. Patil has raised nine objections and has urged Mr. M.B. Patil, who is also the Home Minister, to consider the same before submitting the committee’s report.
In the three-page letter, Mr. H.K. Patil has opined that any land allotment to big industry houses should be governed by the industrial policy and mines and minerals policy of the Government of India, as well as the mining policy of the State government.
Such big land allotments should be made need-based and with sensitive consideration of all the important parameters.
Listing out the major objections and allegations against JSW Steel, Mr. H.K. Patil said the company owes dues to the tune of ₹2,000 crore to the State-owned Mysore Minerals Ltd.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) objections, report of the estimates committee of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, the letter written by the committee on public undertakings of the Legislative Assembly, all confirm the dues to MML by JSW Steel.
FIR filed
While the Special Investigation Team of the Karnataka Lokayukta has registered an FIR No. 30/2014 on November 19, 2014, against JSW for cheating the Karnataka government, the report of the Lokayukta on illegal mining in its chapter 23 lists out the crime committed by JSW, causing a loss of ₹324 crore to the State exchequer, Mr. Patil has said in the letter.