DK district admin, roots for truck terminal in APMC yard

DK district admin, roots for truck terminal in APMC yard

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, March 16, 2016 :  APMC president Yekkar Monappa Shetty has said that if the administration attempts to use the land for other purposes, he will take up a legal and political battle. Despite opposition from the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee, Mangaluru, to offer its land in Baikampady Industrial area for a truck terminal, the district administration appears to be keen on getting it for the purpose.

At the Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) review meeting, the non-availability of at least 100 acres of government land to house a truck terminal adjacent to the national highway was pointed out, DK DC  Adoor.B. Ibrahim said that the APMC land could have been considered as it was not fully utilised.

Presiding over the meeting, district in-charge Minister B. Ramanath Rai then wanted to know the reason for not getting that land for the truck terminal and he was informed that APMC was not prepared to offer it.

“There were general reports against the proposal,”  DC  Ibrahim said. Dist Minister Rai then asked the administration to hold another meeting to iron out the issues.  DC Ibrahim said that the APMC could have received some income if the land was offered for the truck terminal. The APMC secretary, present at the meeting, said large tracts of land were not available on the premises. At this juncture, Minister K. Abhayachandra Jain joined and alleged that there were many scams in the APMC.

APMC president Yekkar Monappa Shetty told media that in the first place, no large tracts of land were available.  Tracts of land had been allotted to traders, societies and others, who were all doing agriculture-related business. Small pieces of land in between could not be used for the truck terminal.

The land had been acquired to help agricultural activities and it could not be diverted for non-agricultural purposes, even for rent, Shetty said. If the APMC was authorised to rent out land tracts, it could have done it long ago, he said.   Shetty reiterated that he would take up a political and legal battle if the administration attempted to use the land for other purposes.