VIJAYAWADA: The HC has sought the government’s response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a CBI probe into alleged large-scale manipulation of land records and illegal grant of mining leases in Bhatrupalem village of Dachepalli mandal in Palnadu district.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Lisa Gill and Justice Challa Gunaranjan on Tuesday issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary of Mines, Director of Mines, Guntur District Collector, District Forest Officer, Director of CCLA, Principal Secretary (Home) and other officials, directing them to file detailed counters. The matter was adjourned to next month.
A PIL filed by Guntur resident Kayithi Srikrishna alleged that Survey No. 307 was illegally expanded from 3.32 acres to 94.8 acres by creating fictitious sub-divisions and altering boundary records to facilitate mining leases.
The petitioner sought cancellation of all mining leases, Letters of Intent (LoIs), No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and other approvals allegedly issued on manipulated records.
Advocate Vadlamudi Ashok Ram argued that the original Field Measurement Book (FMB) and the 1906 Re-survey and Re-settlement Register recognised only three sub-divisions and alleged that lease sketches differed from revenue records. He claimed the land adjoins Madinapadu Reserve Forest, requiring approval, and sought preservation of records besides a CBI or SIT probe.