Land scam: SIT grills TDP leader

Visakhapatnam: The land scam in the city is getting murkier every day with Special Investigating Team unearthing scams one after another. On Wednesday, the team picked up former TDP corporator of fourth ward M Sombabu at Madhurawada and questioned him on the ex-servicemen lands that were sold to private individuals after obtaining no objection certificate in 2004.

Highlights:

• Ex-servicemen and freedom fighters’ lands sold out
• All NOCs being scrutinized: Joint collector

Around 54.4 acres of land was given to the ex-service personnel in 1999 and they were disposed of without adhering to the rules. Sombabu allegedly played a key role in obtaining the NOC and arranging sale of the lands.The police teams now hovering all over Madhurawada and Anandapuram and raided Sombabu’s house and found some valuable documents.

“We are examining all the NOCs given for sale of lands given to ex-servicemen lands, freedom fighters and political sufferers. We formed six teams to verify 69 NOCs in all,’’ said joint collector G Srijana.

Speaking to this correspondent here on Wednesday, she said some could be genuine NOCs and yet the government wanted to know under what circumstances the beneficiaries sold the land.

Sources in the revenue department said there were many beneficiaries who were not aware of sale of their lands as they lived with their children elsewhere and seldom visiting the city.

“It is difficult to retain lands at Madhurawada which is in the eye of the land scam which is emerging as the biggest in the state,’’ the sources added and said complaints have been piling up at PM Palem and Anandapuram police stations and the number swelled with the formation of Special Investigation Team.

Unfortunately, very few political leaders came out open to assist the SIT. Floor leader in the Assembly and Visakhapatnam North MLA began his fight much before the SIT but there was no response.

He fought against land pooling at Mudapaka in Pendurthy mandal where the ruling party leaders wanted to grab 400 acres of land from the innocent farmers. The district administration became active after he also lodged a complaint with SIT on how a private person grabbed two acres of land at Madhurawada.

Official spokesperson of YSRCP P Murthy Yadav in his petition to SIT and also Collector suggested that all the scams beginning from land pooling in Ozone Valley till Mudapaka and violation of open space by builders should be brought under the gamut of SIT.

In 2002, vice-chairman of VUDA Kona Sasidhar submitted a comprehensive report to the government stating that the scam relating to land pooling in Pardesipalem and construction of building in open space had taken place and it amounted to more than Rs 650 crore.

Sasidhar also exposed the role of Vuda employees at all levels, who had colluded with private persons and senior officials, including the former secretary of VUDA who is on the run since then.

“The scamsters of the land pooling are enjoying the property and the government is yet to take over the building constructed in open space in sector-2 of MVP Colony,’’ said Murthy Yadav.

Sasidhar has verified the records of all allotments at Cyber Valley, Ozone Valley, Madhurawada, Endada, Rushikonda, Kurmanapalem, Ocean View layout and MVP Colony before submitting his report to the government.

By KMP Patnaik