Siddhartha Vihar Trust, led by Rahul M. Kharge, son of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, has ‘voluntarily surrendered’ the five-acre civic amenity (CA) land in Bengaluru’s Defence Aerospace Park to the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB).
Following a controversy over the allocation of land to the Trust, its Chairman (Rahul Kharge) wrote to the KIADB Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on September 20 requesting withdrawal of the Trust’s request for the civic amenity site to set up a ‘Multi Skill Development Centre, Training Institutes and a Research Centre.’
According to the letter, the objective of the Trust was to create more employable opportunities through skill development in emerging technologies for students and unemployed youth. “The proposed Multi-Skill Development Centre aimed primarily to serve the youngsters to make them more employable and industry-ready with skills and future skills. It was also designed to help students who were unable to pursue college education. Furthermore, the Trust also had conceptualised a Centre of Excellence intended to offer research and incubation opportunities for students and aspiring entrepreneurs for roles in high-tech industries,” the letter stated.
“The Trust’s preference for a site within the KIADB industrial area stems from the belief that proximity to high-growth industries would provide invaluable exposure and opportunities for young people, particularly those from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds, while establishing these institutes outside of such industrial hubs would limit these benefits,” stated the letter.
Charitable Trust
Asserting that the Trust is a public educational, cultural, and charitable trust and not a private or family-run Trust, the letter stated that all institutions established under its aegis are ‘Not For Profit.’ Hence, none of its trustees can benefit directly or indirectly from the Trust’s assets or income.
“The cost of the civic amenity site we requested exceeds the cost of an industrial plot in the KIADB area. While SC/ST entrepreneurs receive a 50% concession, no such concession is available for civic amenity sites, even for applicants from the Trusts run by SC/ST community. The land was allotted on a lease-cum-sale basis for 10 years. If the trust does not fulfil the conditions within three years. KIADB has the right to cancel the lease. As of now, only an allotment letter has been issued, with no lease deed executed,” the letter stated.
“We do not wish to be drawn into controversies which will divert our attention and efforts from our primary objective of empowering the disempowered through education and social service. In light of these circumstances, we respectfully withdraw our proposal and request the board to cancel the allotment of CA site,” stated the letter, adding that the board should accept this as a voluntary surrender.
Distressed over attack on family
Releasing the letter on Sunday (October 13, 2024) at a press conference in Bengaluru, Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge said, “Only three of us from the family are involved in politics. My elder brother is a soft-spoken individual who has expressed distress over the attacks our family has faced. On September 20, he wrote to KIADB to return the land, stating that the allocation would be legally handed back.”
He said that Mr. Rahul Kharge had applied for the land in accordance with the rules and that it was allotted based on proper documentation. “The allocation was done legally. My brother (Rahul Kharge), who is not well-known to the public, passed the UPSC exams and worked hard for his education. This is merely a political accusation, with no wrongdoing involved,” he added.
It may be noted that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife too recently returned the sites to Mysore Urban Development Authority following allegations of irregularities over the allocation.
Published – October 13, 2024 04:27 pm IST