BJP seeks judicial, CBI probes into alleged land scams

BJP Legislature Party leader Eleti Maheshwar Reddy on Thursday demanded both a judicial inquiry and a CBI investigation into alleged land scams during the previous BRS government and the current Congress administration.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP State office, he called for a comprehensive probe into the alleged encroachment of government land, suspicious land transfers, inclusion of private properties in the prohibited list, scrutiny of all changes made to land records, action against those responsible for irregularities and justice for legitimate landowners.

Mr. Reddy in the presence of State president N. Ramchander Rao and MLA Payal Shankar also demanded that the government make public the forensic audit report on the ‘Dharani’ and ‘Bhu Bharati’ portals and explain discrepancies in land records listed under the Section 22A prohibited category.

Making a PowerPoint presentation on the alleged land-related irregularities involving hundreds of crores of rupees over the past decade, the BJP leader alleged that vast tracts of land were involved in fraudulent transactions and questioned why the Congress government had remained silent on issues that occurred during the BRS regime.

The BJP leader claimed this had fuelled suspicions of a “secret understanding” between the Congress and BRS parties and also questioned Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s failure to act against those allegedly responsible and protect public assets.

Criticising Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRAA), Mr. Reddy alleged that it was demolishing small homes belonging to poor families while failing to take action against properties owned by influential persons and large commercial establishments.

Mr. Reddy also raised concerns over the implementation of Section 22A of the Registration Act. While the provision is meant to cover categories such as government, assigned, endowment, Waqf and land ceiling surplus lands, he alleged that several legally owned private properties, including approved residential layouts and buildings, had also been placed on the prohibited list. This, he said, had forced landowners to make repeated visits to sub-registrar offices while middlemen exploited the confusion.

The government should disclose the actual extent of lands under various categories, including those allotted to SC, ST and BC communities, he added.