VISAKHAPATNAM: Even as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is all set to submit its final report on the Visakhapatnam land scam, all the key documents and supporting evidence material have been kept in the strong room of the district treasury in the Collectorate complex. Sources say that the papers, around 1 lakh in number, were brought to the district treasury in 12 sealed steel trunks and kept in the strong room on Thursday and Friday. Having given two extensions for its tenure, the government had asked the SIT to submit the final report in Vijayawada on December 23 last year, but it did not happen owing to unavoidable circumstances.
The SIT officials were summoned to Vijayawada to submit the final report. But, their appointment was cancelled due to some unscheduled programmes. Then the government machinery was busy from January 2 to 11 for the fifth edition of Janmabhoomi - Maa Vooru programme followed by Sankranti holidays.
The government formed the SIT on June 20 last year and the probe into the complaints related to land irregularities began on June 28.
The second extension granted on its tenure lapsed on December 28, 2017. Now that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu would be taking part in the World Economic Forum meeting at Davos, the SIT sources say, the final report would be submitted by the January-end or in February first week. According to sources, the SIT has prepared more than 1 lakh papers, comprising old and new land documents and evidence related to nearly 500 complaints which they sorted out of the 2,865 grievances received from the public.
The complaints include more than 440 revenue land related irregularities, including record tampering, forgery, duplication, alteration and allegations related to 69 no objection certificates (NoCs) issued by the district officials in the past one and a half decades (from 2002). “As we have got more time to submit the final report, we are fine-tuning the report. We will submit the documents to the government within a week,” SIT chief Vineet Brijlal told TNIE.
Papers kept in dist treasury
Around 1 lakh documents stored in 12 sealed trunks and kept in dist treasury strong room
The documents include old and new land documents and evidence related to 500 complaints
The complaints include more than 440 revenue land related irregularities, including record tampering, forgery, duplication, alteration and allegations related to 69 NoCs issued in the past one and a half decades