Nagamangala: Irregularities were detected in the issuance of cultivation certificates in 691 cases in Nagamangala taluk ahead of the last Assembly elections, with rules allegedly being violated in several instances, agriculture minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy said on Friday.
Speaking to reporters after launching the flooring work at the Anjaneya temple in Upparahalli village, the minister said action would be taken against those responsible for the alleged irregularities in the distribution of cultivation certificates.
A complaint had been filed with the Lokayukta regarding the alleged irregularities before the elections. Following government directions, an inquiry was conducted under the leadership of the deputy commissioner. Cheluvarayaswamy said the inquiry, headed by then additional deputy commissioner Nishchalananda Swamiji, detected violations and that the findings had also been recorded in the official file.
Rules allegedly bypassed
Under government rules, cultivation certificates can be issued only to eligible applicants owning up to 4 acres and 38 guntas of land, the minister said.
However, certificates were allegedly issued to some persons owning five acres of land. In some cases, the person who submitted the application and the person who received the certificate were different, while certificates were allegedly issued even to people who had not applied.
The inquiry also found instances where certificates were issued without the signatures of the tahsildar and the chairman of the cultivation committee, he said.
38 cases cancelled
Once a cultivation certificate is issued, the power to cancel it rests with the assistant commissioner (AC), Cheluvarayaswamy said.
Accordingly, 38 allegedly irregular cases have already been cancelled by the AC, while the remaining cases have been placed before the committee for scrutiny, he said.
The minister said genuinely eligible farmers whose applications were held up due to technical or procedural lapses would be considered without political discrimination.
“Those who are legally eligible will be issued certificates. But there can be no protection for cultivation certificates obtained in violation of the law,” he said.
New software to prevent misuse
Cheluvarayaswamy said loopholes in the earlier software had allegedly been exploited to commit irregularities. The new software introduced by the government has been designed to prevent such misuse, he said, adding that district authorities had been instructed to ensure strict compliance with the rules.