Irregularities in payment to Polavaram displaced

KAKINADA: Irregularities in payments of compensation to Polavaram Project Displaced Families have come to light at Gubbampet in Chinaramanayyapeta Panchayat of Devipatnam Mandal in Alluri Sitaramaraju district, related to land acquisition.  

Revenue officials of Devipatnam mandal have given genuine certificates for fake pattas.

The Polavaram Project special deputy dollector released nearly Rs 2.80 crore to bogus patta holders and the amount was directly credited to the accounts of farmers. The Adivasi Maha Sabha has lodged a complaint in relation to bogus pattas.

Its legal adviser Inapurapu Suryanarayana said 22 acres of land is cultivated by two families for decades. Their survey numbers were uploaded in their names, online. Last year, pattas were created in the names of seven tribal farmers for 29 acres, issued in the year 2008, during the term of YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

The Devipatnam tahsildar gave genuine certificates to the pattas and the special deputy collector of Polavaram Project (land acquisition) Ramji released Rs 2.80 crore to the accounts of the tribal farmers based on these pattas.

Now, the real tribal farmers have come forward and refused to vacate their lands.

In fact, the amount released by the government as compensation may be withdrawn by some local leaders who played a fraud, and only small sums might have been given to the tribal farmers. Officials verified the bank accounts, only Rs 18 lakh was available in the farmers’ accounts, the legal adviser said and urged the collector to make a thorough inquiry into the irregularities.

Meanwhile, the Devipatnam tahsildar Veerraju told Deccan Chronicle that there were no records with the farmers on these lands. “When Grama Sabha was held on the farmers and the lands issue, nobody had objected and instead accepted the lands belonged to the seven farmers.  Now, due to local politics, a complaint was lodged on the lands,” he claimed.  

Polavaram project administrator CV Praveen Adhithya started a probe into the irregularities and made inquiries about the Devipatnam mandal tahsildar and other revenue officials and were surprised at the actions of the officials, it was stated.