G O issue: Minister Dharmana role under scrutiny

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Nov 7, 2012: Already facing CBI charges in the Vanpic case, roads and buildings minister Dharmana Prasada Rao could now be investigated for his role in issuing a Government Order (G O) in 2008, when he was revenue minister, regularizing hundreds of crores worth of surplus ULC land for the benefit of private persons.

The matter is related to the Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) surplus land of 2752 sq.mtrs, and 2870 sq.mtrs, in town survey no.1011/1A1A3B & 1011/1A1A3C on the beach road, which had been allotted to p Venkatapathi Raju and K Naga Kanaka Brahmam through G O Ms no. 424 issued by the revenue department on April 6,2006.  

In December 2006,  the then district collector submitted a report to the government stating that P Venkatapathi Raju and K Naga Kanaka Brahmam, have managed to get the said land allotted to them by producing false documents. As a consequence of the district collector’s report, the G O was kept in abeyance.  

Later, Venkatapathi Raju and Brahmam filed representations before the then revenue minister, Dharmana Prasad Rao, and among other things, stated that they were willing to pay the highest slab rate.

The request of the applicants was considered by the state government, which decided to apply the highest slab rate of the year 2002 -Rs.1,750 per sq.mtr, and accordingly, modification orders were issued fixing the highest slab rate under G.O.Ms.No.493,on March 26, 2008 and the abeyance order issued earlier was withdrawn.

Subsequently, the director general of the Anti Corruption Bureau, conducted discreet enquiry and recommended initiating departmental action against the two private persons, for submitting a fake and fabricated house tax book and tax receipts to the then

special officer and the competent authority, Urban Land Ceiling, Visakhapatnam. The ACB also recommended that the two men be prosecuted under sections 420, 435, 465 and 471 of the IPC. “What is the necessity for a revenue minister to issue orders regularizing the said land fixing a very low price when the market value of the land is much more and when it was already established by the district collector that the two had obtained the land allotment by producing fake documents? The whole allotment itself is fraudulent,” says CPI district secretary, JV Satyanrayana Murthy.

Following a furore in the state legislative council, the present revenue minister Mr Raghuveera Reddy appointed the special chief secretary and chief commissioner of land administration, to inquire into the matter. The minister ordered the inquiry this September and the report was to be submitted within a month, but the report has bit been submitted yet.

“Since many bigwigs in the government are involved in this matter, I suggest the state government refer the case to the CBI for an independent investigation. It is possible that this case has links to the ongoing investigation by CBI on the involvement of the state’s political leaders in improprieties and illegalities committed. I have filed an application under RTI Act before the Public Information Officer of state revenue department seeking information on the case. Till date, that department has not adequately responded to my application as required by the Act,” said former senior bureaucrat and Forum for Better Visakha (FBV) convenor, EAS Sarma.