YSRCP MLA alleges several bureaucrats were complicit in alleged Amaravati land scam

The MLA alleged that original revenue records from Thullur had been unofficially transferred from the tahsildar’s office to the collectorate, to enable land grabbing.
Amaravati lands
Amaravati lands
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Mangalagiri YSRCP MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy, who had filed a complaint with Andhra Pradesh CID over the alleged Amaravati land scam, made several fresh allegations against bureaucrats and revenue officials who had been posted in Guntur district under the previous TDP government. He alleged that former Municipal Administration and Urban Development Principal Secretary D Sambasiva Rao, former Guntur district Joint Collector Sreedhar Cherukuri, former Guntur district Collector Kantilal Dande and various revenue officials from Thullur, Tadepalli and Mangalagiri mandals of the district were complicit in moving revenue records and land details in a clandestine manner, and enabling TDP leaders and their associates in acquiring land in the capital region even before the APCRDA (Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority) Act, 2014 was notified.

The Mangalagiri MLA had earlier said that he filed the complaint with the CID based on complaints that he himself had received from assigned land holders, mostly belonging to SC/ST and other communities. His complaint alleged that influential persons from the previous TDP government had cheated assigned land holders and grabbed land from Dalit farmers in the Amaravati region, before the capital area was notified. The FIR named former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and former Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development P Narayana of TDP. Both of them were summoned by the CID, but the Andhra Pradesh High Court stayed the investigation against the TDP chief before he had to appear before the CID.

In a significant development in the case, senior IAS officer and Joint Collector of Guntur in 2014 Sreedhar Cherukuri recently deposed before the CID, The Hindu reported. According to The Hindu, Sreedhar said that on the directions of Sambasiva Rao, land records from Thullur mandal were sought for a Group of Ministers meeting related to the picking the location of the capital. While the original records were meant to be returned to the Thullur MRO (Mandal Revenue Officer) Office, Sreedhar reportedly told the CID that he recently learned that these original records had remained at the Guntur collectorate.

On July 4, the Mangalagiri MLA alleged that the original land records were transferred unofficially, with recording their movement properly, to benefit TDP leaders. Playing a video clip at the press meet, the Mangalagiri MLA alleged that a few real estate businessmen in the region were given the details of assigned lands and were instructed by Naidu and other TDP leaders to cheat and intimidate Dalit farmers. The real estate agents were asked to tell the farmers that unless they gave their assigned lands away at a paltry sum, they would not get any package when the capital would be announced, and that their land would be seized by the government, the MLA alleged.

The MLA alleged that the bureaucrats and revenue officials were complicit in violating the Andhra Pradesh Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfers) Act and the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Only after the assigned lands were seized and transferred to Naidu and other TDP leaders and their benamis, the APCRDA Act was notified, he alleged. He also alleged that Sambasiva Rao was the main official who helped the TDP in carrying out the alleged scam. Stating that nearly four to five thousand acres would have to be returned to Dalit farmers, he said that he would hand over the evidence available with him, including a video clip of a real estate agent, to the CID.

The TDP has denied these allegations, with party spokesperson Pattabhi Ram K stating that it was impossible to transfer assigned lands, and demanding evidence that the developed plots in exchange for the pooled land was given to benamis of TDP leaders. Meanwhile, the Times of India reported that Sreedhar Cherukuri has sought protection for himself and his family as he gave the deposition before the CID.

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