Mangaluru: Upalokayukta Subash B. Adi on Sunday directed Deputy Commissioner S. Sasikanth Senthil to consider avenues for providing road connectivity to houses located on government land. There are many residents suffering for want of connectivity as the roads connecting their areas have to pass through private land, he said.

While hearing complaints at a meeting here on Sunday, Mr. Adi said that it was in Dakshina Kannada where there are more number of cases of allotment of house sites in areas that lacked access to the main road. These house sites can be reached by roads passing through private land.

“Roads passing through private land cannot be developed by government,” he said, while expressing anguish over the Land Grant Committee headed by the local legislator not looking at the road connectivity issue while granting occupancy rights.

Mr. Adi said that this while hearing a complaint by a resident of Bantwal about construction of Srirama Vidyakendra in Bantwal on a road. The local Panchayat Development Officer said that he cannot do anything as the Vidyakendra was on the land belonging to the trust running the institution. There was another complaint by Vijaya Prabhu, a resident of Kavalamudur village in Bantwal, against fencing of a road passing through the property of Vasu Naika.

Mr. Senthil said that there were many houses in the district on government land that can be reached by roads passing through private land. He said that the district administration would consider acquisition of a portion of private land to help solve the problem. It would also explore invoking easement rights of residents.

Mr. Adi gave Mr. Senthil one month time to submit a proposed action plan.

Mr. Adi directed the Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) from Kepu Gram Panchayat near Vitla to remove within a month’s time the bus shelter that has been illegally constructed off the National Highway passing through the village. He directed the PDO from Idkidu Gram Panchayat to take action against illegal construction of a commercial building in the village.

Mr. Adi on Sunday ordered Mangaluru Assistant Commissioner and Tahsildar to conduct a preliminary inquiry into an allegation against Manglauru Bishop of encroachment of government land.

A large number of people appeared before Mr. Adi to accuse Mangaluru Bishop Aloysius Paul D’Souza of encroaching upon large of extent of government poramboke land in Attavar and Jeppinamogaru. They alleged that the Bishop has evicted people staying in those land. Mr. Adi directed the Assistant Commissioner and Tahsildar to submit a report to him in 20 days.

On Sunday, Mr. Adi inquired into 108 complaints registered with the institution.