Minister, MP And MLAs In Rs 20,000 Crore Vizag Land Scam

Visakhapatnam: Over 5,000 acres of land worth about Rs 20,000 crore was siphoned-off by a minister, an MP and three MLAs of Andhra Pradesh.

In 2014 cyclone Hudhud struck coastal Andhra Pradesh with Vizag bearing the brunt of the calamity. Citing missing land records during the cyclone, the "leaders" than fudged land records rendering thousands of farmers landless. The epicenter of this land scam was Bheeemili constituency.

Following agitations by the farming community, the state government agreed for an inquiry into the incident. Strangely, while the farmers demanded a thorough investigation by a specialised agency such as the CBI the government is going ahead with a public inquiry scheduled for June 15. The farmers allege that a public inquiry is a mere eyewash and will only help the perpetrators escape with the crime.

Addressing the media regarding the scam, district Collector Praveen Kumar said an inquiry is underway and that his team is already reviewing all the land records in the region. "As part of the investigations criminal cases have been filed against two tahsildars," he said. The Collector acknowledged that Field Management Books (FMB) that contain records of land holdings are also missing from several revenue offices in the district.

Meanwhile, AP minister Ayyanna Patrudu said the government should assign an IAS officer with the task of investigating the land scam and the alleged encroachments. "Police officials and political leaders themselves are involved in land settlements and encroachments in Madhurawada region," the minister alleged. Deputy chief minister KE Krishnamurthy, too, said that a public inquiry will be held into the land scam.