Karwar: Revenue Minister Kagodu Timmappa instructed officials to clear encroachments on government land and lake beds at the earliest.

At a review meeting here on Saturday, Timmappa said: “If any official comes across encroachments, he should immediately take action against encroachers. After clearing the encroachment, the officials should fence the area.” “In Uttara Kannada district, 2,291 acres were encroached upon and the district administration has already cleared 1,134 acres,” DC SS Nakul said at the meeting.

He said the remaining encroachments will be cleared soon. Timmappa asked village accountants (VA) and panchayat development officers (PDO) to stay in their respective work places. “Many VAs and PDOs are not staying in their work places and it will not solve villagers’ problems,” he said. “VAs and PDOs should visit villagers and collect their applications related to properties and solve it.

All officials should work in the ground level, only then we can give good governance,” the minister said. He said there is a provision in the district to give land rights to those who are living in ‘GavThana’ and taluk level officials and PDOs should voluntarily visit such places to give land rights to them.

In the meeting, MLA Satish Sail raised the Seabird land losers’ compensation issue and said the Defense Ministry is yet to release Rs 400 crore compensation.

The minister said he will soon hold a meeting with Uttara Kannada District Minister R V Deshpande and MLAs from the district in this regard and then approach the Centre.

Zilla Panchayat President Jayashree Mogere, MLA Shivaram Hebbar, Sharada Shetty and others officials attended the meeting.