Waqf land row: No farmer will be evicted, says CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru, Oct 29 (IANS): Reacting to the raging controversy regarding the Waqf land row, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah assured that no farmer would be evicted from their land, adding that if any notices have been issued to farmers, they will be withdrawn.

He made these remarks while responding to questions from journalists regarding notices sent to farmers in Vijayapura, Yadgir, and Dharwad districts, claiming that their lands belong to the Waqf Board.

Siddaramaiah also mentioned that Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, Vijayapura District In-charge Minister M.B. Patil, and Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmed had jointly addressed a press conference on Monday to clarify the matter.

Talking about internal reservation, the Chief Minister said: “The Cabinet meeting held yesterday decided to implement internal reservation. A single-member commission, headed by a retired High Court judge, will be formed to review the matter and submit a report within three months.”

He clarified that except for the notifications already issued, no new government recruitment notifications will be released until the commission submits its report.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has warned that officials failing to meet the commercial tax collection targets will be held accountable.

He emphasised that tax collections must not fall short under any circumstances.

In a review meeting chaired by the Chief Minister, the progress of commercial tax collection was discussed. The state has set a target of Rs 1,10,000 crore for the financial year 2024-25.

As of the end of October, Rs 58,773 crore has been collected, comprising: GST: Rs 44,783 crore, KST (Karnataka Sales Tax): Rs 13,193 crore, and Professional Tax: Rs 797 crore. The state has achieved 53.5 per cent of the target so far. Compared to the same period last year, the collection has increased by Rs 5,957 crore, CM stated.

To meet the yearly target by March, Rs 10,200 crore per month needs to be collected over the next five months, he stated.

Siddaramaiah stressed the need for coordinated efforts, saying, “Achieving the target is essential for the state’s development.”

He also announced that he would conduct monthly reviews and reiterated that any official not meeting the target will be held accountable.

He also noted that the Karasamadhana scheme is expected to bring in an additional Rs 2,000 crore.

The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary L.K. Atheeq, Commercial Tax Commissioner C.A. Shikha, and the CM’s Political Secretary Govindaraju, along with other senior officials.

Siddaramaiah also held the meeting of the Excise department. “The excise tax collection target for 2024-25 is Rs 38,525 crore. As of October 28, the department has collected Rs 20,237 crore, achieving 52.53 per cent of the target,” he said.

This year's collections are Rs 1,301.15 crore higher than the same period last year, he said.

The Chief Minister instructed the department to take strict measures to prevent illegal liquor smuggling from Goa and meet the March deadline for the target. He warned that any complaints of corruption within the department will be dealt with firmly.

Excise Minister R.B. Thimmapur, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Additional Chief Secretary L.K. Atheeq, and other senior officials were present at the meeting.