Date:26/08/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/08/26/stories/2007082653400500.htm

Andhra Pradesh

CPI(M) slams revenue officials for ‘dual policy’

Correspondent

VIZIANAGARAM: CPI(M) district committee secretary M. Krishna Murty has said Congress leaders are forcing Revenue officials declare assigned lands as jirayati and registering them under benami names.

At a press conference on Saturday, Mr. Krishna Murty said assigned lands at Devada(17 acres), Bharanikam (26 acres), A. Venkampeta (49 acres) in Makkuva mandal, Gotlam (10 acres) in Bondapalli mandal were sold and registered to some people in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalle under benami names. He recalled that Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had said all the lands in possession of the ‘big people’ would be distributed within six months. Though the deadline ended in April not a cent of land was given to the poor, he said. He criticised Kolagatla Veerabhadra Swamy, MLA, for issuing pattas, in violation of guidelines, to 280 people in Anamvari cheruvu in Dharmapuri recently. In spite of stiff opposition from ayacutdars, Revenue officials even tried to issue possession certificates, he said. The poor under the aegis of the party when erected flags in the dried up Dakkini cheruvu (Vizianagaram), Devi banda (Parvathipuram) and Erra Banda(S.Kota) that have no ayacut at all were arrested and imprisoned, he recalled. The district administration had allotted 52 cents of land In Muchchivani Cheruvu in Thotapalem for Congress party office, he added. He flayed the ‘dual policy’ of revenue officials.