VIJAYAWADA: The Crime Investigation Department (CID) has intensified its probe into the alleged alienation of assigned lands in Amaravati capital region. The CID on Thursday recorded the statements of farmers of Rayapudi and Uddandarayunipalem, who had given their lands to the government, falling under the capital region.
According to sources in the investigating agency, Venkateswarlu, a farmer of Rayapudi, who was having an acre and 40 cents of landholding, told the CID that a word was spread among the farmers in the capital region that the assigned lands would be taken over by the government once the location of the capital was announced. “We were told that the government would not pay a single rupee for the lands. We were anguished and forced to sell our lands,’’ he said, adding that those who purchased the lands had initially offered Rs 19 lakh for his land. However, when we went to the registration office at Mangalagiri, we were offered only Rs 6 lakh. When we questioned them, they told that we would not get even that amount if the government took over the lands,’’ he said, adding that they were deceived. At least three farmers appeared before the CID at Thullur police station and gave their statements on similar lines.
It may be recalled that the CID on March 12 registered an FIR on the alleged irregularities in alienation of assigned lands in the capital region with the issuance of GO 41 by the previous TDP government through which assigned lands were allowed to be acquired for the capital Amaravati.The FIR was filed based on a report given by Mangalagiri MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy. The FIR named former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and former municipal administration minister P Narayana as the accused. The AP High Court, however, had stayed investigation into the FIR for four weeks. Meanwhile, the CID cautioned private individuals from contacting the potential witnesses in the case and hampering the investigation by twisting the facts.
“The victims and witnesses belong to weaker sections and were already hesitant to approach the law enforcement agencies earlier. It is requested to not to harass or intimidate the witnesses by approaching them and exposing them to the perpetrators of the offences,’’ a statement by the CID said.“As the matter is under examination by the court, we will responsibly place all these facts before it through a counter affidavit,” the statement said.
The CID said they had collected over 150 documents from the sub-registrar office at Mangalagiri, which clearly showed the mala fide acts of the individuals who were involved in the illegal activities. “The details such as names, addresses, photographs of the persons who are suspected to be benamis of persons connected to the individuals in decision making role in the then government are being compiled,’’ the CID said.
“The investigation officer has been recording the statements of various officials involved in the process of framing the rules related to the controversial GO 41 and the assignees who might have been exploited and deprived of their lands. The names of the assignees were gathered from the revenue records and the data from the AMRDA (earlier APCRDA),’’ the CID said.