Udupi: A resident of Udyavara has approached the Karnataka Lokayukta, alleging prolonged harassment and bureaucratic apathy by officials of the Udyavara Gram Panchayat over the non-issuance of a mandatory land document, despite multiple favourable orders from competent authorities.

The complaint, filed on December 19, names the former Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) Ashok Kumar and the current PDO H R Ramesh. The complainant, Vasant Sherigar, an insurance professional, has alleged that he was forced to run from pillar to post for nearly four years to obtain a 9/11A land document, to which he is legally entitled.

According to the complaint, Sherigar inherited nine cents of land within Udyavara panchayat limits and obtained land conversion approval from the Deputy Commissioner and single-site approval from the Udupi Urban Development Authority in July 2021. The gram panchayat had also passed a resolution in the same month approving the issuance of the 9/11A certificate. However, the document was allegedly withheld on what Sherigar termed “untenable grounds”.

Sherigar alleged that the then PDO insisted that he surrender 10 feet of land for a proposed road, even though competent authorities later clarified that no such road alignment passed through the property. Following an unrelated complaint, the file remained stalled for several months, forcing him to pursue the matter repeatedly with various administrative authorities.

The Human Rights Protection Foundation (HRPF), Udupi, which has been supporting Sherigar, said it wrote at least three letters to officials at different levels seeking intervention.