By Firoz.T.Totanawala
The Bangalore Metro Reporter
THE GREAT FRAUDSTER
MN GURURAJ, NECK DEEP IN MANIPULATIONS
WAITING TO BE CAUGHT! WILL SOMEONE GRAB HIM
M.N.Gururaj Rao, the Assistant Secretary of Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) who also functions as the Secretary of the Lokaseva Housing Co-op Society (LHCS) formed by the employees of KPSC has bundles of scams in his kitty. Due to his extensive reach and clout and support from the corridors of power, he is still at large in spite of indulging in magnanimous manipulations and violations. He is waiting to be grabbed and it is high time that the law of land catches up with him.
Below are the few violations and manipulations of M. N. Gururaj in brief.
TWO JOBS
M. N. Gururaj Rao is an Assistant Secretary of KPSC and also functions as the Secretary of the LHCS. He is playing this double role since decades and shockingly, no one has dared action against him.
Despite the Co-operative Act stipulating adoption of model bye laws to all the Co-operative Societies in the State, LHCS is the only society which cared too hoots for the same. As per the Act, every Co-operative Society shall have a paid Secretary and no member or Director can become the Secretary. But M N Gururaj still continues as its Secretary by using a different name and signature.
TWO NAMES, TWO SIGNATURES
Interestingly, Gururaj is not using his official name in the society. In all the correspondences of the LHCS, he uses M.N Gururaj and in KPSC he uses the name of M N Gururaj Rao. And smart as he is, he also uses different signatures for different posts. Despite knowing this ‘Double’ role of Gururaj, the KPSC has not taken any action against Gururaj till date.
Obviously, a Government official holding and working for two different posts that too by manipulation of name and signature is a serious offence under the KCS.
NO RENT
The LHCS is located in the premises of KPSC. Since M. N. Gururaj Rao himself is the assistant secretary in KPSC, there is no need for him to take anybody’s permission. He uses all the facilities of KPSC for his LHCS and that too absolutely free. The society also does not pay any rent for the area.
EXISTING FOR PERSONAL GAINS
The LHCS formed solely for the purpose of providing sites to the employees of KPSC has become a very big real estate agency. KPSC does not have more than 300 employees including officials, but, the society has made hundreds of sites in many layouts. Almost the entire KPSC employees who needed sites have been allotted the same long back and as such, legally, the LHCS needs a wind up as it has outlived its utility and served its purpose. But Gururaj in stead is using it as a real estate agent to acquire lands, get Government clearances, form layouts and sell sites to the public.
NAGADEVANAHALLI LAYOUT- ONE LAYOUT, MULTIPLE PLANS
In the formation of its first layout at Nagadevanahalli, M N Gururaj has committed unimaginable scams, but his high links at high places, has blinded the Co-operative department officials.
The society purchased 12 acres and 3 guntas of lands in Survey No. 24 and 25 of Nagadevanahalli. In the sale deed he signed as M N Gururaja Rao and the BDA has also sanctioned the layout plan with 165 sites of various dimensions. M N Gururaj submitted a list of Members of the society totaling 192 members (including around 34 set up members who paid only Rs. 100 as share fee). Of them, 165 members had paid the sital deposit and therefore, 165 sites were more than sufficient to cater to the needs of all the eligible members of the society.
But Gururaj sold more than 200 sites in this layout! He could do so by unofficially purchasing adjacent land, forming sites there also without following the law of the land. But there was a hitch. The fact that the BDA has sanctioned only 165 sites and the society has sold 200 sites will be known, if any purchaser goes for a legal opinion. Therefore, to safeguard himself, he submitted another draft layout plan in 2005 to the BDA showing 187 sites, a clear increase of 22 sites over the earlier sanctioned sites. He then showed this draft layout plan of 187 sites to many gullible purchasers and to further make it seem real, he got a petty official in the BDA to ‘endorse’ the copy as ‘For’ Deputy Director Town Planning!
Besides, Gururaj also cleverly manipulated the dimensions of the sites like 60 x 55 1/2”, 30 x 41, etc. to increase the number of sites. But the question is – how could the BDA sanction sites measuring 30x41, 40x55 1/2 etc.
Even though the society was limited to the employees of the KPSC, Gururaj allotted more than 50 sites to outsiders by treating them as members.
We took a sample of around 87 registered deeds and shockingly found more than 30 names of outsiders who are not employees of KPSC. Why go far, M. N. Gururaj’s brother M. N. Nagaraja Rao, an employee in PSIT was also given a site bearing No. 149 which was registered on 06-10-2010. Gururaj who has built a three storied building near Kumaraswamy Layout has also allotted a site to himself as well. Besides, his another brother too was given a site.
Of course, the BDA released 192 sites to the LHCS. And as per the rule, the Society has to submit the seniority list of members duly certified by the registrar of Co-op Societies. But who cares? Apparently, even the BDA did not insist on the lawful procedure.
YELAHANKA LAYOUT: TWO HOOTS FOR THE LAW OF THE LAND
The Yelahanka Layout at Kogilu by M. N. Gururaj is another shining example for his contempt towards the law of the land. The Nagadevanahalli Layout was sufficient to the needs of less than 200 employees of KPSC, but Gururaj continued to form layouts to do the real estate business.
The latest venture is a layout in Kogilu village near Yelahanka and he is busy in it for the last seven years. In fact, he has sent letters to companies and factories offering sites to their employees making a direct violation of the co-operative spirit. How can a Co-op Society, formed for the housing needs of the KPSC employees, advertise sale (allotment) of sites to outsiders and that too by forming new layouts? This is sheer rubbish, but who cares?
In the Yelahanka (Kogilu) Layout, Gururaj has formed hundreds of sites in three stages and has collected sital deposits to the tune of crores. In fact, in 2005 itself, Gururaj had sent a circular to the purchasers to pay up sital deposits ranging from Rs. 40,000 to 1,00,000 depending on the size of the sites as second installments.
But the most astonishing aspect of this 2005 circular, mind it 2005 year, is that Gururaj had stated that civil works of the layout were progressing. This means that the LHCS had started the civil works of the layout by 2005 itself, while the rule is that it can be done only after the BDA approves the layout plan.
On the contrary, as per the RTI information, the Town Planning Member in BDA states that the BDA has not at all sanctioned any layout plan in Kogilu in favour of the LHCS.
The law of the land stipulates that the society has to first identify the lands, send proposal/request to the land acquisition officer explaining the need for it along with the information about the number of members who need the land and with supervision and other charges. Then, the lands be acquired on its behalf by the Land Acquisition Officer. Finally, the BDA gives sanction after the society hands over the areas meant for CAs. Only then, the society can start the civil works under the supervision of the BDA engineers who shall ensure that the society adheres to the sanctioned plan. Once the works are completed, the BDA then releases the sites to the society, in the name of the members. For this purpose, the society has to submit the seniority list of the members duly certified by the Registrar of Co-op Societies. The society can start registration of sites in favour of the allottees thereafter only.
On the contrary, Gururaj in the year 2005 itself said that the layout works were progressing. This implies that the BDA had sanctioned the layout plan then. Otherwise there is no question of civil works being undertaken by the society. But, the Town Planning Member in BDA says that BDA has not sanctioned any layout plan in favour of the LHCS at Kogilu.
While the mega fraudsters of the political background are lined for jail and interrogation, it is high time that somebody wakes up and grabs M N Gururaj for his blunt and endless violations and manipulations.
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