Date:17/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/17/stories/2006121704060300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur

Rythu Sangham's appeal to parties

Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR: State president of Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham affiliated to Communist Party of India K. Ramakrishna on Friday urged the political parties to take responsibility of lands possessed by their leaders in excess to the limit under the Land Ceiling Act and handover them to the Government.

Such lands should be distributed among the poor, he said. Talking to newspersons here, he opined that Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy appeared to have surrendered his family's excess lands to the Government with an aim to target Ramoji Film City.

'Instead, the State Government should act sincerely in reclaiming occupied Government and assigned lands by influential persons, without any intent of victimisation.

The Chief Minister's family should pay lease rental to the Government for enjoying the lands being surrendered now for about 30 years. He said there were about 40 lakh acres surplus, forest, banjar and benami lands in the State with most of them being under the occupation of influential persons.

All-party panels

He requested the Government to form all-party committees from village level to ascertain the extent of surplus lands available and also to distribute them among the eligible poor.