Andhra Pradesh netas under CID lens over Amaravati land

HYDERABAD: Many senior politicians could have financially benefited from redesigning the capital region boundaries, said the CID on Sunday, as it expanded its investigation to probe their role into land pooling. The Andhra Pradesh CID has fast-tracked the probe into allegations of encroached government lands being given in land pooling scheme to AP Capital Regional Development Authority (CRDA).
A source in CID said that the scope of the probe was extended, based on the cabinet sub-committee report. Sources said that transactions involving 4,000 acres were under the scanner in Amaravati.
The CID is already probing illegal transactions and assigned lands after issuing FIR. The cabinet sub-committee had said that many people, privy to the likely location of capital, had bought land in the capital region, between June 1, 2014, and December 31, 2014, just before a formal official declaration was made.
“Certain highly-connected individuals procured land through illegal transactions. We are also probing on the findings that the boundary of the capital area was changed to benefit certain people who had lands on the fringes. Another aspect under probe is the fraudulent surrender of Lanka (river island), Poramboke, government lands towards LPS scheme to receive returnable plots,” said a CID official.
Irregularities in land allotment in CRDA and violation of provisions of AP Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfer) Act of 1977 and Violation of Rules of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989 have also come under the scanner. The lands were purchased in the mandals of Thullur, Amaravati, Tadikonda, Pedakurapadu, Mangalagiri, Peddakakani, Tadepalli of Guntur district and Ibrahimpatnam, Penamaluru, Vijayawada Rural and Chandarlapadu of Krishna district.
“As per records, lands were bought at nominal rates from farmers right before the notification of the capital. It was established that 2,279.91 acres were purchased in the above-mentioned mandals of Guntur district and 1,790 acres were purchased in the mandals of Krishna district,” said an investigating officer, adding, ““Redrawing the boundaries of CRDA were done later.”