The TDP urged the Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary to order a thorough inquiry into the multiple instances of large scale corruption in the name of house sites for the poor families all over the State. The multi-crore scams were being committed in multiple phases beginning from making the Government pay inflated prices to buy cheaper, unfit lands and then to loot public money in the name of levelling, layout making and filling the acquired lands with earthen soil. It is disheartening to see the Government acquiring the lands belonging to the downtrodden sections, ecologically sensitive marsh lands, wetlands, low-lying lands, mangroves and forest lands though they are not suitable for giving house sites.
Mr Chandrababu Naidu told CS that the Government unleashed a scam of Rs. 500 Cr in acquisition and leveling of over 600 acres of marsh land at Burugupudi village in Korukonda mandal in Rajanagaram assembly constituency in East Godavari district. The land was acquired at a feigned and inflated cost of Rs. 45 lakhs per acre amounting to a total of Rs. 270 Crore. Further, the amount required to increase the altitude of the land would cost another Rs. 250 crores for filling the marsh land with earthen soil to convert the same into house sites.
The acquisition of marsh land would be a violation of the environmental protection laws. The raising of altitude of this marsh land would only endanger the surrounding villages, towns and habitats in the long run. The latest heavy rains have flooded and submerged the marsh land supposedly acquired by the Government for housing sites to the poor. If houses are constructed here, it would pose danger to the lives and property of the poor, further pushing them into deeper poverty. The YSRCP leaders were adopting a special modus operandi to perpetrate corruption in connivance with some local officials. They were selecting cheap lands with little or no market value. The ruling party leaders were buying these lands from owners by showing inflated values during registration but actually paying low market values to the owners. Later, the Government was acquiring these lands from the YSRCP leaders at inflated and feigned prices. This was all done under the housing scheme as per the Andhra Pradesh Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
The TDP chief says that across the State, corruption was taking place in the above mentioned modus operandi. For instance, in assembly constituencies like Tenali, Vinukonda, Kavali, Palacole, Pendurty, Chowdavaram, Addanki and Penamaluru. Even land unsuitable for housing was also acquired at a feigned higher cost by the Government.
