HYDERABAD: Senior Congress leader V. Hanumantha Rao, who has been critical of irregularities being perpetrated in the name of Dharani, on Monday visited Keesara village and mandal in Medchal-Malkajgiri district to get a feel of the ground-realities.
Around 94 acres of land, which were seized from one Ragi Krishna Reddy under the land ceiling act, were distributed to ten Dalit SC Madiga families in 1981 by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi. This land has now been taken over by Ragi Krishna Reddy’s family forging signatures of the beneficiaries, Rao said.
The land transfer was enabled by Dharani, despite tall claims by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao that the site was tamper-proof and corruption-free. The VRO system was abolished on the pretext that ‘they are corrupt’ and MROs don’t have powers now. Presently corruption is happening at the level of RDOs and joint collectors, he said.
Explaining how the lands were grabbed, he said, “Forged signatures of the beneficiaries of land reforms, of whom two passed away in 1983 and 1988, were used in 1997 to claim ownership of the land. The value of the land, after ORR came into existence, is around ₹ five crore per acre and the 94 acres are worth ₹500 crore overall. Posh layouts are coming up on the land for the construction of villas. What is the local BRS legislator C. Malla Reddy doing? I will speak to our leaders A. Revanth Reddy and Rahul Gandhi also.
Only if we stand by these people will the public gain confidence that the Congress party is there for the poor, he said.
The officials who gave permissions even as the land title is pending in courts should be punished, he said.
