Judge Raised Land Value 4,600% In Yeluru Scam

An inquiry by a senior IAS officer, Samarjit Ray, has established prima facie that in the Yeluru land scam, the compensation paid for land acquired was increased by 4,600 per cent by the concerned sub-court over what the land acquisition officer had awarded.

Ray submitted an interim report to the Chief Minister yesterday. The state government has now asked a sitting judge of the High Court, Justice S R Naik, to further probe the scam.

The sub-judge, P Swamy of the Anakapalli court, has been suspended by the High Court and arrested by the CB-CID. An advocate, P Pothi Naidu and some of his accomplices have also been arrested in the scam. On the basis of Rays report, the government yesterday directed that three senior officials, revenue divisional officer Anita Rajendra of Narsipatnam, senior assistant in the same office B R S Prasad and executive engineer N Seshagiri Rao be placed under suspension.

The scam pertains to acquisition of land for the Yeleru canal and reservoir which carries the Godavari water to the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and other industries in that city.

According to Rays report, awards were passed by the concerned land acquisition officers in 258 land acquisition cases pertaining to the project. In respect of 43 awards, the court of the sub-judge was moved by the awardees seeking enhanced awards.

Of this, 40 were disposed of by the sub-judge, enhancing the compensation from Rs 30,98,360 ( about Rs 30.98 lakh) to a whooping Rs 6,10,32,136 ( about Rs 6.10 crore) with an additional interest of Rs 8,21,33,153 ( about Rs 8.21 crore), thus making the total revised compensation as Rs 14,31,65,289 or 4,600 per cent more than what was originally awarded. Ray reported that a conspiracy existed to defraud the government of crores of rupees, the modus operandi being enhancement of compensation by the court ob the basis of evidence produced by the advocate P Pothi Naidu. The revenue officials were forced to deposit the enhanced compensation amount in court on threat of contempt of court proceedings and these were released by the judge.