6 days ago
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Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday (July 6) accused the Congress government in Karnataka of conspiring to derail the Centre’s efforts to revive Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT), alleging that the State government was using the Forest Department to create obstacles just when a special revival package for the public sector enterprise was nearing a crucial stage. He said HMT would challenge the order before the court.
Responding to media reports that the State Forest Department had issued a notice to HMT and set a deadline for returning its land in two areas, Mr. Kumaraswamy questioned the timing and legality of the action.
“The matter is pending before the court. At such a sensitive stage, the State government, through the Forest Department, has issued a notice and has imposed a deadline. This amounts to interference with judicial proceedings and is contrary to law,” he said at a press conference.
He said that Bengaluru Urban Deputy Conservator of Forests N. Ravindra Kumar had ordered the HMT to immediately surrender 430 acres of land to the Forest Department on the grounds that it constituted forest land.
“Such an order directly interferes with the ongoing judicial proceedings. Moreover, the officer has no jurisdiction to issue such a direction. The HMT will challenge the order before the court,” the Minister said.
“With the objective of breathing new life into HMT, I have been making efforts to convince the Prime Minister and the Union Finance Minister to approve a special package. Just when the package was close to being announced, the State government, with malicious intent, got such a notice issued,” he alleged.
The Union Minister said a meeting on the proposed special package for HMT was scheduled for the following week and that a decision to revive the iconic Bengaluru-based enterprise was imminent.
“I do not know who prompted this Forest officer. Barely 15 days before his retirement, he has displayed the recklessness to issue such a notice. Does this officer not even possess the basic understanding that the matter is before a court? He will have to face the consequences of his actions,” Mr. Kumaraswamy warned.
“The officer himself has valued this land at nearly ₹15,000 crore. That naturally raises the suspicion that someone has set their sights on this property. Many have already plundered the HMT land with the blessings of this very government. I have all the documents showing when 175 acres of the HMT land were sold and where the transactions were registered. I have details of those who have built houses there. Multi-storeyed buildings and massive apartment complexes now stand on land that was looted. Did the Forest Department issue notices then?” the Union Minister questioned.
Mr. Kumaraswamy alleged that the plunder of HMT land continued until he became Chief Minister in 2006.
“I stopped the sale of this land because I was determined that it should never fall into the hands of land grabbers or the real estate mafia. In the government of those who promised to turn Bengaluru into Singapore, the HMT land was torn apart,” he charged.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we will revive HMT. We will do it, and no one can stop us. By issuing an unlawful order, the Forest Department is attempting to encroach upon HMT land,” Mr. Kumaraswamy charged.
English (US) ·