Pedalanadariki Illu: Naidu demands probe into multi-crore scams in land acquisition

Vijayawada: TDP national president and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday urged the AP government Chief Secretary to order a thorough inquiry into the multiple instances of large-scale corruption, in the name of house sites for poor families (Peadalanariki Illu) scheme.

In a letter addressed to the CS, Naidu said that multi-crore scams were being committed at different phases, beginning from making the government pay inflated prices to buy cheaper, unfit lands and then looting public money in the name of levelling, finalising layout. It is disheartening to see the government acquiring the lands belonging to the downtrodden sections, ecologically sensitive marsh lands, wetlands, low-lying lands, mangroves and even forest lands though they are not suitable as house sites.

He alleged a scam of Rs 500 crore in the acquisition and levelling of over 600 acres of marsh land at Burugupudi village in Korukonda mandal, Rajanagaram Assembly constituency in East Godavari district.

The land was acquired at an inflated cost of Rs 45 lakh per acre, amounting to a total of Rs 270 crore. Further, the amount required to increase the height of the land would cost another Rs250 crore, to make it suitable for conversion into house sites.

The TDP chief asserted that acquisition of marsh land was against the environment protection laws. Raising the height of this marsh land would only endanger the surrounding villages, towns and habitats in the long run, he said.

The heavy rains in the last few days flooded and submerged the marsh lands supposedly acquired by the government for distribution as house sites among the poor. If houses are constructed at those sites, it would pose danger to the lives and property of the poor, pushing them into more poverty, he said.

Mr Naidu accused the YSRCP leaders of adopting a special modus operandi to perpetrate corruption in connivance with some local officials. They are selecting cheap lands with little or no market value. Then the ruling party leaders are buying these lands from owners by showing inflated values in the registration documents but actually paying very low price to the owners.

Later, the government is buying these lands from the YSRCP leaders at inflated prices. Lands which are not suitable for housing are also being bought by the state government at exorbitant prices. All this is being done under the housing scheme as per the Andhra Pradesh Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.

The TDP chief told the CS that across the state, corruption was taking place in the same modus operandi, specially in the Assembly constituencies of Tenali, Vinukonda, Kavali, Palacole, Pendurty, Chowdavaram, Addanki and Penamaluru.