VISAKHAPATNAM: With the government widening the ambit of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing into Vizag land irregularities, many people including political leaders have lodged complaints with the probe team, alleging that compensation was paid illegally to many for the land acquired for the Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone project proposed in Pedagantyada, while the genuine beneficiaries were left out.
As complaints are pouring in pertaining to various allegations including tampering of revenue records, land grab by private players in violation of norms and encroachment of government and private properties, the government on Saturday widened the scope of SIT probe, which was earlier confined to record tampering cases only, allowing it to investigate all cases related to violation of land laws.
By Sunday, the SIT has received some 2,553 complaints from individuals and political leaders from both ruling and opposition parties. But, only 250 pleas are related to tampering of records.
Three days ago, Roads and Buildings Minister Ch Ayyanna Patrudu, who earlier publicly accused revenue officials, police and political party leaders of being hand in glove with the mafia, submitted documentary evidence to SIT.
“I have submitted evidences on how some people have fraudulently encroached 270 acres of government land and claimed compensation to the tune of `12 lakh per acre for the MedTech Zone land. I will submit some more documents on the land scams on July 19,” he had said.
A group of land losers of MedTech project has approached the SIT and submitted complaints stating that many irregularities had taken place in the identification of beneficiaries and distribution of compensation.
“Pleas have been received which claim that a special officer took commissions from many people to include them in the list of beneficiaries.
We are now concentrating on the all 69 no objection certificates (NoCs) issued for the land allocated to ex-servicemen allegedly by tampering of records. Pleas related to forceful encroachments and occupations of D-Patta, Banjar, Wakf, forest and VUDA lands have also been received. After a thorough probe, we will recommend actions including cancellation of NOCs, if needed,” a SIT official told Express on condition of anonymity. Spread over 270 acres, the MedTech Zone offers land at a subsidised cost and common facilities for medical equipment manufacturers.
The SIT will speed up the probe by examining the proofs and evidences submitted by the complainants. Already six teams are on the job. “If required, we may ask for more staff to finish the task within the scheduled time,” he said.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Vishnukumar Raju announced that he would submit some proofs related to land irregularities occurred in Mudapaka on July 18. “The government has taken a good decision by widening the scope of SIT investigation. I hope that the government will extend the time of receiving complaints,” he said.
Already, the CPI, the CPM and Minister Ch Ayyanna Patrudu have submitted some more evidences to the SIT officials. But to everybody’s surprise, the leaders of main opposition party YSR Congress are yet to submit any information pertaining to land irregularities to the SIT.