Goud orders cancellation of illegal 'pattas'

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, MAY 8. The Home Minister, Mr. T. Devender Goud, has directed the Ranga Reddy district administration to cancel immediately the illegal `pattas' and permissions granted to organisations and individuals for construction of houses in vacant Government lands.

He also instructed the authorities not to allot vacant lands without involving the local elected representatives. Mr. Goud admitted the problem was rampant in Hayatnagar area, where a retired tehsildar had allegedly issued fake certificates.

``Criminal cases should be booked and action must be taken against the guilty. The court order too specifies such an action. The officials should not condone such activities,'' he said at the Ranga Reddy District Development Review Committee (DDRC) meeting here on Tuesday.

The Commercial Taxes Minister and district in-charge Ms. J. Lakshmi Padmavathi, the Social Welfare Minister, Ms. K. Pushpaleela, the Roads and Buildings Minister, Mr. K. Vijayararama Rao, the District Collector, Mr. Ajay Jain, MLAs, MPs and several officials were among those who participated in the meeting.

The fake land deals issue came to the fore when the BJP MLA, Mr. N. Indrasena Reddy, stated that though housing schemes were not being taken up in urban areas, the administration was allocating `pattas' and layouts to people from ``other places.''

The Home Minister also frowned upon the construction of houses on lake beds in several areas of the districts, and urged the officials to take strict action which would act as a deterrent.

Another issue which Mr. Goud wanted the officials to play a proactive role was development of Lambada hamlets which were in the news because of the child adoption racket. He wanted a special package, specially targeting the girl child, for improving the economic conditions of the Lambadas. Funds could be earmarked specially for it.

Responding positively to Mr. Indrasena Reddy's suggestion, he asked the Women and Child Welfare Department to enumerate the Lambada population. The Ministers pulled up department officials for being ``ignorant'' of the illegal activities of some of the NGOs in the child adoption racket.

They were informed that of the 142 NGOs functioning, the whereabouts of 35 of them were not known. It was also brought to the notice of the Home Minister that there were six anganwadi centres which were not built though necessary funds were sanctioned.

An angry Mr. Goud called for filing of criminal cases against persons responsible stating that mere suspensions would not set things right. A presentation on the status of the `Neeru-Meeru' campaign was made and the groundwater department was told to make fresh surveys so that areas which showed considerable improvement in groundwater level could be taken off the `black list' which makes it difficult for farmers to get loans.

The TDP MLA, Mr. Harishwar Reddy, wanted taking up of watersheds on a largescale even in urban areas and streamlining of desiltation operations. The DDRC decided to pass a resolution seeking extra funds that other districts get for drinking water provision for taking up the watersheds. The Ministers also reviewed the progress of the `Deepam' scheme (18,000 connections to be given this year), irrigation, forest and other departments' works.

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