The Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) has initiated the formation of a committee to identify properties in the city valued at millions of rupees. This move comes amid increasing thefts of documents from BCC offices over the past four to five years, raising suspicions of widespread corruption and forgery. It is alleged that these thefts were orchestrated to destroy original documentation related to the corporation’s assets.
According to corporators, the corporation owns over 95 properties that have been leased or rented to various government and private organizations involved in social services. Alarmingly, lease agreements for more than 70 of these properties have expired, and the corporation has yet to reclaim possession. Furthermore, rent payments for many of these properties remain unpaid. This failure to act has fueled suspicions among corporators, prompting the issue to be raised at a recent BCC general meeting, where officials were reminded of their responsibilities.
A BJP corporator and advocate expressed dissatisfaction with the handling of the situation by city Corporation officials. He stated that the corporation is losing crores of rupees in annual revenue due to this negligence. Officials reported an outstanding Rs 26 crore from BCC-owned assets. Corporators also alleged that since 2013, during the tenures of various administrators and commissioners, some officials have acquired properties under the guise of social service and registered them in their own names.
MLA Abhay Patil voiced concerns about the lack of clear records on leased properties and their tenants. He highlighted incidents of document theft from BCC offices, suggesting that these acts were intended to obscure large-scale irregularities. Patil recommended forming a fact-finding committee or conducting a high-level investigation to address these issues.
Reshma Talikote, the commissioner of BCC’s revenue department, acknowledged the corporation’s lack of clear information on its leased properties. A survey is currently underway to identify all such properties. Ashok Dudagunti, BCC commissioner, stated that revenue department officials have been instructed to conduct this survey and submit a comprehensive report on all corporation assets. He assured that stringent measures are being implemented to safeguard these properties.