Land procurement for the landless poor in Andhra Pradesh is turning out to be a questionable affair with increasing allegations of scam. Rumours doing rounds claim that several YSRCP leaders are entering into pre-sale agreements with the farmers offering market prices to give away their lands to the government’s land distribution scheme. In an alleged modus operandi, the ruling party leaders offer Rs. 10 lakh per acre as market price. Upon agreement, the farmer files a consent letter with the local MRO offering his land. On receipt of the letter, the MRO sends the file to the Joint Collector and District Collector for ‘fixing’ compensation for the land offered.
At this stage, the YSRCP leaders allegedly pull strings forcing officials to fix higher rates of compensation, usually double and triple of what they have offered to the farmer. The jacked-up costs fixed over and above market prices directly go into the pockets of the leaders. If these allegations are true, then the leaders are minting money, taking cuts as high as Rs 30 to 40 lakh per acre.
In Penamaluru Assembly segment alone, the government has procured about 234 acres of land in the name of land distribution. The entire transaction has now come under the scanner. Similarly, allegations have come to the fore regarding higher ‘fixing’ of land prices for ‘Aava’ lands in Rajamahendravaram and Mangrove forest lands in Kakinada. The land sharks have reportedly developed ventures encroaching the mangrove lands in Kakinada in utter disregard to the hue and cry of environmental activists and opposition leaders.
In another incident, Kavali’s ruling party MLA Ramreddy Prathap Reddy is facing allegations of underhand dealings after registration of 70 acres of land took place in a single day on the name of white ration cardholders.
TDP senior leader Gorantla Buchaiah Chowdary said, “This is only the surface of what is probably a very large scam worth thousands of crores. The YSRCP leaders are encroaching lands, trading with them and brazenly eating public money leaving nothing for the farmer.”
