MEDAK: After a brief lull, Medak district officials again launched a crackdown against Huzurabad MLA-elect Eatala Rajender. The officials issued notices to the former minister’s family members for conducting a survey of the lands on which Jamuna Hatcheries, owned by Rajender’s wife, was set up. They have also served notices on 100 farmers.
Interestingly, the resumption of the inquiry comes close on the heels of Rajender winning the Huzurabad bypoll on November 2, defeating his nearest rival Gellu Srinivas of the ruling TRS party.After Rajender was dismissed from the Cabinet, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao instituted an inquiry in June into the purchase of assigned lands and ceiling lands in Achampeta and Hakimpeta villages of the Medak district’s Masaipeta mandal where Jamuna Hatcehries stands.
Jamuna Hatcheries, however, filed a writ petition in High Court questioning the conduct of survey of the land in its possession without serving any notice. The High Court directed that the survey be conducted only after issuing a notice.According to Medak District Collector S Harish, officials could not conduct the survey because of the Covid pandemic and now have decided to survey the lands by following due procedure.
“The Deputy Inspector of Survey and Land Records issued notices to the owners of Hatcheries and about 100 farmers. We will know whether the lands in question were assigned lands or ceiling lands only after conducting a proper survey,” he said.The Collector explained that there will be a land survey in two villages for three days — on November 16, 17 and 18. “We are not doing any new survey of land where Jamuna Hatcheries stands but only continuing the survey from where it was stopped earlier,” he added.
The government has already launched the ACB and Vigilance inquiries into the Jamuna Hatcheries. In the past, vigilance officials have also questioned some farmers and submitted a preliminary report to the government.Meanwhile, BJP MLA M Raghunandan Rao said that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has reopened the probe into Eatala’s assets with a vengeance, unable to forget the electoral humiliation the TRS candidate suffered in the Huzurabad byelection.