JSP corporator seeks probe into Bhogapuram food park lands

Visakhapatnam: Jana Sena Party corporator Peethala Murthy Yadav alleged that a number of assigned lands were grabbed by former chief secretary to K S Jawahar Reddy.

Speaking to the media here on Tuesday, he alleged that Jawahar Reddy tried to register 70 acre APIIC lands allotted to the Mega Food Park in Bhogapuram mandal. He said that N Chandrababu Naidu’s government allotted lands to the food park in February 2019.

As the land scam was exposed, the officials of the registration department refused to oblige Jawahar Reddy and registration of lands worth more than Rs 200 crore was halted, he informed.

Murthy Yadav said that in addition to the 50 acre D-patta lands collected by the APIIC, Jawahar Reddy had also issued free hold pattas for another 20 acre government lands to private individuals.

The then TDP government allotted the land to establish a food park with a timeline of three years. But due to the change in the government and lack of encouragement, the food park was not established, the corporator pointed out.

He made it clear that if the land cannot be utilised for the purpose as per the regulations, the land should be returned to the government.

However, the organisation that owned the land approached the High Court seeking a stay order after informing the court of their difficulties, he mentioned, adding Jawahar Reddy and his gang eyed these valuable lands.

The JSP leader stated that Jawahar Reddy’s team has shown that these lands belong to the farmers, which should have been under the ownership of APIIC.

He alleged that Jawahar Reddy mounted pressure on the district collector, RDO and tahsildar to get the free hold certificates for the farmers. Murthy Yadav demanded a thorough investigation into the matter and action against those involved in the violation of norms.