Visakhapatnam: Mummana Rajeswara Rao joined the Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) Department as deputy surveyor about 26 years back for a modest salary of Rs 1,450 per month. He managed to make steady progress and has been working as Deputy Inspector (Survey) of ULC in Vizag for the past few years. On Friday, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) teams from Central Investigation Unit (CIU) entered his and his relatives’ houses to take stock of his assets, only to find that he was millionaire. The ACB searches led by DSP Ramadevi at Rao’s residence in NGOs Colony of Muralinagar and his family members and relatives’ houses in Vizag revealed that Rao has amassed over Rs 2 crore (over Rs 25 crore as per market value) assets that were disproportionate to the known sources of his income. The count is on to ascertain the value of the illegal assets owned by the tainted officer. The 54-year-old Rao had worked as Deputy Surveyor at G Madugula and as Surveyor at Land Acquisition of NTPC and Steel Plant in Vizag. Between 2012 and 2016, Rao managed to amass huge illegal assets, said Director General of ACB, R.P. Thakur.
Based on credible information, the ACB teams raided six places in Vizag. The assets seized include an individual flat measuring 1,175 sft at Madhurawada, a three-storied house over 2,400 sft at NGOs Colony in Muralinagar, a residential plot measuring 450 sq yds at Lachampeta area in Kothavalasa, another plot measuring 190 sq yd in the same village, a residential plot measuring 240 sq yds at Ramapuram area in Pendurthi mandal and two flats measuring 1,015 sft and 1,365 sft in Chinnagadili in the same complex where his daughters, M. Likitha Priyanka and M. Vasavi Prameela, have their houses. This apart 400 gms gold, 3 kgs silver ornaments, Rs 10,000 cash, fixed deposit worth Rs 50,000, a Maruti Swift car and two two-wheelers were seized. The DSP said details of some bank accounts and lockers are still to be ascertained. Sources said that the ACB has recovered about 300 gms gold ornaments and documents from a bank locker. Rao was arrested on Friday evening. He will be produced before the Special ACB Court in Vizag on Saturday and sent to remand.
The Urban Land Ceiling Act came into being in 1976 limiting each individual to own not more than 1,500 square yards. Joint families file an application with ULC department for NOC to claim that the land belonged to the family and seek ways to avoid the Act provisions. Mummana Rajeswara Rao collected huge bribes for issuing such NOCs, said ACB officials.
