'Chandrababu Naidu ignored objections on govt order that gave legitimacy of land transactions'

Hyderabad: A charge sheet filed by AP CID that is probing into the multi-crore alleged assigned lands scam in Amaravati capital city, revealed that senior IAS officers deposed before the magistrate under section 164 CrPc, that the then chief minister, N Chandrababu Naidu and MA & UD minister, Ponguru Narayana had ignored the objections raised by them and overrode the legal opinion of the advocate general and issued a Government Order that had helped them in indulgin in the scam which is valued at Rs 4,400 Crs involving around 1100 acres of land. Naidu and Narayana, played the dual role of heading the AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) and also as the Chief Minister and the Minister respectively.

This G O Ms No 41 was intended to give legitimacy to the transactions on the assigned lands, though such transactions were illegal as per the AP Assigned lands (Prohibition of Transfer) Act, 1977.

AP CID few years ago registered multiple FIRs into the alleged scam naming Naidu, Narayana and few others as accused. CID on Monday filed a chargesheet into the case in the ACB court in Vijayawada.

Chargesheet said that in conspiracy with Naidu, the then minister Narayana, other ministers and their benamis with an intention to grab the assigned lands in the capital city area from the SCs, STs and BCs, put them under the apprehension that the assigned lands will be taken away by the government under Land Pooling Scheme without giving any package and purchased the lands from them at lower prices.

Later, the Ministers who were in the government pressurized the then government officials for issuing of the GOs M.S.No.41 to gain benefits of the land pooling scheme for the assigned lands in the villages such as Mandadam, Velagapudi, Rayapudi, Uddandarayunipalem, etc.

Despite the clear and binding legal advice given by the then Advocate General, the accused deliberately and in a coordinated manner violated the legal mandate.

In pursuance of their plan, they engaged Kommareddy Brahmananda Reddy, KPV Anjani Kumar, Gummadi Suresh, Kolli Sivaram, family members of the Ministers etc, who acted as benamis of the then ministers and purchased the assigned lands of poor people.

Pressure was also brought upon the Sub-Registrar officers in Mangalagiri, etc. to allow registrations and GPAs on the lands in the prohibited list and this has been brought out in statements recorded under section 164 Cr.P.C before the Magistrate.

The investigation elicited clear evidence of flow of funds of about Rs 16.5 Cr,from the educational societies and companies operated by the family members of Narayana to M/s Ramakrishna Housing Pvt Limited and other real estate middlemen, who in turn paid the farmers of assigned lands and got illegal sale agreements prepared in the names of the benamis of Narayana.

“He illegally acquired nearly 162 Acres of assigned lands for himself. Other politically affiliated associates of Naidu and Narayana, too, acquired assigned lands of hundreds of acres in the capital city area,” said the Chargesheet

Realtor wants to turn approver

One of the accused in the case, realtor Kommareddy Brahmananda Reddy, who allegedly dealt with the agreements on the assigned lands approached the ACB court, praying to consider him as a “prosecution witness”(approver). The ACB court is examining his petition.