Government land encroached in Vizag city

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Nov 29: With the skyrocketing of land prices, government lands worth thousands of crores of rupees have been encroached by real estate agents in the city.

In a clear case of tampering and falsifaction of records, Field Measurement Book (FMB) of survey no 1011, block no. 39, Waltair Ward of Pandurangapuram on the beach road was tampered by the ULC officials which is being investigated by the vigilance sleuths. 

In collusion with e-seva centre officials, some real estate agents and developers fabricated documents and obtained government orders to allegedly grab land that vested in the government under the Urban Land Ceiling Act.

While the issue is being inquired by the vigilance department, documents available with this newspaper show that ULC office totally tampered the crucial FMB of the said survey number used to register land transactions.

The FMB used in regularizing surplus land under various ULC provisions was totally different from the FMB certified by the central survey office of 1966, on which land transactions are actually to be based and done.

The said land under 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, 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issued fixing the highest slab rate under G.O.Ms.No.493,on March 26, 2008 and the abeyance order issued earlier was withdrawn.

“An independent investigation, other than by state vigilance commission, preferably by CBI, should be ordered to ascertain the criminal liability of the concerned minister and the officials in this particular land transaction. Every extra day's delay in proceeding will create that much of scope for destruction of the evidence,” observed former senior bureaucrat and Forum for Better Visakha (FBV) convenor, EAS Sarma.

A multi storied apartment complex with more than 90 super luxury flats in three blocks valued hundreds of crores is coming up on the controversial land.