Andhra Pradesh To Reopen Land Compensation Cases
Andhra Pradesh has decided to re-open all compensation cases pertaining to land acquired by the state government over the past 20 years, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced in the assembly yesterday.
The decision follows surfacing of a major fraud in working out the final compensation amount for the Yeluru canal project land. The canal carries water from Godavari to feed the industrial plants of Visakhapatnam.
A judicial commission, headed by sitting judge of Andhra Pradesh High Court, S R Naik, is probing the Yeluru scam.
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It is believed a land acquisition officer had awarded Rs 6.10 lakh to 40 people for their land, and later enhanced the amount to a whooping Rs 14.32 crore through judicial manipulation,
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said Naik will suggest ways to improve the existing land acquiring procedure, and might introduce changes in the statute to check irregularities.
The commission will submit its report to the government in 12 weeks' time.
A few other cases, where the court had disproportionately raised land compensation, has been taken up by the Andhra government.
At the assembly yesterday, members cutting across party lines sought a detailed inquiry into the scam and demanded a probe into political, bureaucrat and judicial nexus in this connection.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu told the House that 23 people have been arrested in the Yeluru scam..
Three district officials, including an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, are already under suspension. Prime accused in the scam, advocate P Pothi Naidu, is now in custody.
The banks have frozen fixed deposits totalling Rs 5.67 crore in the name of Pothi Naidu and other accused.
There seems to be no scam in the country without the involvement of the Congress and, hence, my decision to re-open all the compensation cases over the past 20 years.
He dismissed Congress demands that he quit office for signing the compensation payment file.
Naidu argued he signed the file, but at the same time had ordered review of all pending cases and appeals against court awards.
The Chief Minister said he had been informed by officials that unless the court awards were executed, there were fears of contempt of court proceedings and attachment of public property.