TDP alleges `3,000 crore land scams, demands CBI probe

Amaravati: TDP former MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao on Monday accused the ruling YSRCP MLAs, ministers and leaders of looting Rs 3000 crore public money by committing massive land scams in acquisition of over 14,000 acre in all parts of the state in the past 15 months.

He demanded a probe by the CBI to bring out the real culprits behind the daylight robbery of the state in the name of distribution of housing sites for the poor. He challenged the Jagan Mohan Reddy government to at least order an inquiry by the vigilance or the CID which were the ruling party's pocket departments.

Addressing a press conference here, the TDP leader said that their party went to the court appealing against the YSRCP's illegal activities in respect of the Amaravati capital city lands. The TDP has not filed any court cases in any house sites related issue anywhere else in the state. Whereas, the YSRCP leaders were saying they were not able to give house sites to the poor because of hurdles created by the TDP. This was nothing but a lame excuse and the ruling party leaders were interested only in making huge money from house sites and land scams but not in giving inhabitable sites to the poor. If the government does not take action against the land mafia, the TDP would launch a legal fight against the YSRCP excesses, Umamaheswara Rao warned.

The former MLA asserted that the CBI should investigate the money transfers from the accounts of the farmers to whom the government sent thousands of crore after purchasing their lands. These farmers got just Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh per acre while their lands were sold to the government by the local YSRCP leaders at Rs 70 lakh to Rs. 90 lakh per acre. The huge margins were pocketed by the ruling party MLAs and their henchmen. Evidence was available against the YSRCP leaders and the MLAs in Vinukonda, Tenali, Tanuku and other places, Umamaheswara Rao said.

He deplored that in Krishna district Rs. 600 crore worth land scams took place. One ruling party leader sold to the government a parcel of land that was under mortgage with a bank and got the money. The bank officials were left surprised at the way the government itself was committing such irregularities in an unforeseen way, he said. Another Rs 700 crore worth land scams were committed in West Godavari district in the name of house sites to the poor. About 1,300 acre mining lands were being given as house sites in Prakasam district and 1,500 acre uninhabitable lands in Kurnool district, Umamaheswara Rao alleged.