Alam Pashas allegation mala fide, says Nirani

BANGALORE: Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani has stoutly denied of either illegality or malafide intention in the denotification of 27 acres of land in Devanahalli taluk as alleged by one Alam Pasha. "In fact, Pasha’s allegation is malafide with ulterior motive of defaming me and my government. He (Basha) himself is a fraud and there are a number of complaints against him,” Nirani addressed the media here on Friday.“In order to cover up his lapses, he has been making desperate attempts to defame me and the BJP government,”  the minister said.According to Nirani, 27 acres of land in Maranakuppe and Hoovinayakanahalli, which were notified for acquisition by the KIADB, were denotified as per existing rules when the original lands owners gave in writing that they would establish the industry."There is provision in the law to return the land to the original owners, if they say that they would set up the industry. What is wrong in this and where is the malafide intention? I am willing to face the probe if ordered. I have nothing to hide,” Nirani added.The minister charged Pasha of having committed a series of lapses in not establishing the industry despite having got land allotted way back in early 2000 near Electronics City when S M Krishna was the chief minister.“Nine years is too long a period to keep the land vacant. Our officials are working out the modalities to take the land back from Pasha and return it to the original owners. Thus, Pasha has resorted to this character assassination,” he said.He said Pasha is also facing a case in the High Court pertaining to alleged forging of records of land which originally belonged to retail and wholesale plantain vendors residing in Electronics City.He denied the allegations that Bijapur-based Nirani Sugar Industries, owned by him and his family, got illegally allotted 300 acres of land by the KIADB.The minister also maintained that the sugar industries had bought 150 acres of land directly from the farmers who voluntarily sold it after giving their consent in writing.