Congress MPs inspect Siddipet lands, allege irregularities involving Harish Rao and kin

You don’t have any Active Subscription.

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

A group of Congress MPs and MLCs address the media before leaving to visit BRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s residence at Erravalli on Friday. | Photo Credit: G RAMAKRISHNA

A delegation of Congress Lok Sabha MPs and MLCs conducted a field inspection in Siddipet over the alleged irregularities in transactions involving assigned and government lands linked to BRS leaders.

Bhongir MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, who led the visit, alleged that large tracts of assigned land were transferred in violation of restrictions under the previous BRS regime.

Referring to Survey No. 271 in the Siddipet Assembly constituency, he said the survey number covered around 300 acres of Lavani-patta land. He alleged that 4 acres and 8 guntas allotted to an ex-serviceman and 2 acres and 8 guntas allotted under the freedom-fighter category were purchased by Madhavaram Hanumantha Rao, whom he described as a relative of former Minister T. Harish Rao.

According to the MP, the transactions took place around 2009–10 despite restrictions on the transfer of assigned land. He alleged that while an NOC from the District Collector was required, permission was obtained from the RDO, and now even the NOCs were missing.

The MP further raised questions over land acquired for the Ranganayakasagar project. He said that about 2,212 acres were initially acquired during 2016–17, of which around 2,183 acres were ultimately utilised, leaving about 30 acres.

Of the remaining land, he alleged, Mr Harish Rao acquired 13 acres and 20 guntas in 2018 at about ₹2 lakh an acre. He questioned the subsequent development of a SUDA park around the land and alleged that the Irrigation Department constructed a blacktop road to the property at a cost of about ₹5.30 crore without following the tender process.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.