As the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the A.P. Police tightens its noose around those accused of indulging in questionable deals in the purchase of large land parcels in Amaravati during 2014-2019, more skeletons are tumbling out of the closet.
The CID has come out with “startling evidences” of some influential people tampering with the land records and surrendering the “non-existent” lands allegedly with the connivance of the Revenue and Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) officials in lieu of returnable plots from the CRDA.
For instance, in Lingayapalem, the total assigned lands acquired under the Land Pooling Scheme is 153.9 acres, which is under encroachment. They were allotted returnable plots under Jareebu classification. The CRDA had even started the process of regularising encroachment of 50 cents at Uddandarayunipalem.
The CID also unearthed “irregularities” in the allotment of lands to various private healthcare and educational institutions.
The CID, in its report, said that 850 acres of land was allotted to various institutions between July 2016 and December 2017 at variable prices. In contrast, 204.77 acres of land was allotted to the Central public sector units after taking a decision to fix a uniform price.
Land was allotted to private universities at ₹50 lakh per acre, and some lands were allotted at variable prices ranging from ₹15 lakh to ₹30 lakh. Similarly, 124.67 acres of land was allotted to State government institutions and two charitable trusts.
In the Capital region, 2,353.28 acres of land was assigned to the ex-servicemen and “political sufferers.”
The then government had framed the land pooling rules allegedly without amending the provisions in Rule 3 of the A.P. Assigned Lands POT Act, 1977, or the provisions in the SC/ST PoA Act, 1989.
Since the lands were assigned before 1954, they were listed in the prohibited properties under Section 22 A (1) (e) of the A.P. Assigned Lands POT Act.
Even the assigned lands were not spared, as the government orders were passed (GO Ms. Nos. 258, 580 and 575) to allow buyers to register the lands. They were later allotted returnable plots, which were registered in their names, after rejecting the claims of the original assigned land-holders after three years, the report said.
Many original assignees felt cheated as the government orders were issued much later and by that time, a lot of land had been purchased by the buyers after allegedly threatening the original land owners that their lands would be taken away by the government.
The CID probe revealed that 280 acres had allegedly been grabbed by the SC/ST land owners.
‘Cases will be registered’
“All these dubious land deals indicate that a well oiled network of politicians and their supporters connived with the Revenue and CRDA officials. We will register cases against all the accused. The Enforcement Directorate, Chennai, had taken cognizance of the CID report on dubious land deals in which white ration card holders bought lands worth ₹200 crore,” said Additional Director General of Police, CID, P.V. Sunil Kumar.
