Telangana: Eatala Rajender lands in assigned row

Hyderabad: Trouble seems to be brewing for Health Minister Eatala Rajender. Within hours of allegations of land grabbing of assigned lands in Achampet village of Masaipet mandal of Medak district by the minister, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao asked Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar to institute an inquiry into the complaints received by him through the District Collector and submit a comprehensive report.

The Chief Minister asked the vigilance D-G Purnachandra Rao to find out the facts on the encroachments in the district. The complaint was made by Chakali Lingaiah, Chakali Bichaawa, his father Pedda Venkataiah, Chakali Krishna, Chakali Nagulu, Chakali Parusram, Nagulu, Erukula Durgaiah, Erukula Yellaiah, and Erukula Ramulu. They had shot off a representation to the Chief Minister enclosing the proceedings of the Tahsildar correcting the records in respect of about 100 acres of the assigned lands in Survey numbers 130/5, 130/9, 130/10.

The villagers alleged that hundreds of acres of assigned land was allotted to the poultry firm Jamuna Hatcheries belonging to the Minister Rajender's wife Jamuna.

It is alleged that though the Minister knew it was illegal to purchase assigned lands, he did so in the name of his wife Jamuna and son Nitin Reddy.

It was further alleged the Minister pressurised the officials to allot 25 acres of land in survey number 130 adjacent to Jamuna Hatcheries. The Medak district additional collector Nagesh told the media that Etala Rajender and the manager of the Jamuna Hatcheries also spoke to him about these lands.

However, he told them that the assigned lands cannot be given to private persons. Nagesh said that the Minister asked whether these lands can be attached to which he replied that these cannot be attached as they were assigned lands.

The villagers said that they were practising farming on these lands for the last six years but now they were asked to leave. They said that they got lands in 1994. Each family got 1.2 acres of lands. They said that huge sheds had come up for the poultry business and they were threatened that if they do not sell their lands, it would be acquired by the government.

However, the speed with which the government acted gave speculations in political circles that there were political overtones to the issue. There has been talk that he was mobilising BCs and working against the party interests.