Land Pooling Scheme: Rs 650 crore land scam in Vizag?

Visakhapatnam: The state government has woken up to a possible Rs 650-crore land scam in Vizag. A late evening GO issued by the municipal administration department amending an earlier order and a letter sent to the Vuda vice-chairman on the ownership of the assigned lands that will be pooled under Land Pooling Scheme (LPS) is being seen as a blow to the associates of an influential ruling party politician from the district and also averting a major land scam that may run into about Rs 650 crore.

The price of a square yard in Anandapuam and Kommadi areas, where the LPS is planned, is between Rs 15,000 and Rs 18,000 in the open market. In an open auction conducted by Vuda in one of the layouts developed in Dakamarri under Anandapuram Mandal, a square yard was sold at Rs 14,600 in August.

As per GO 290 issued earlier regarding the guidelines of the LPS, ownership of the developed plots given in lieu of the assigned lands can be transferred or registered to anyone even before issuing the final land pooling ownership certificate.

It is learnt that advance payments were already made by these associates through real estate brokers to those marginal farmers who are in possession of the assigned lands.

As per norms, assigned lands cannot be sold and with the earlier GO a developed plot that was given in lieu of the assigned land that was pooled can be sold by the beneficiary.

Vuda planned LPS in two phases. Under Clause 2 of Guideline No. 10, “Registrations of land shall be allowed during the period between draft Land Pooling Scheme and Issue of land pooling ownership certificate. The purchasers of lands from the landowners declared under Form 7 and not covered by Rule 9(2) (ii) shall be the deemed owners under the Act.”