The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Plug illegal income sources, recommends report

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Plug illegal income sources, recommends report

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, JULY 19. The House Committee on Factional Violence in Rayalaseema has recommended preventive steps to plug illegal income-generating sources of factionalists like gambling, matka, illicit liquor, illegal settlements and mining.

The Government had constituted an 18-member House Committee, with G.S.S. Sivaji as the chairman to look into the issue following the killing of six persons in Kappatralla village (Kurnool district) and seizure of a suitcase bomb in Anantapur district.

During its 21-month investigation the committee interacted with the public and agencies in Anantapur, Cuddapah, Chittoor, Kurnool, Guntur and Prakasam districts, visited faction zones and interviewed factionalists. The members met 27 times to discuss the issue and incidents with senior police and revenue officials.

The committee's report was tabled in the Assembly last week. It discussed the steady manner in which faction leaders had penetrated deep into the social fabric, acquired wealth/status and applied `fear psychosis' as an effective way of getting things done. The second phase of the issue, the `politicisation of factionalism' caused greater worry.

Apart from putting an end to the income-generating sources of the factionalists, the committee felt the enactments should include severe punitive steps. It referred to `destruction of orchards', practised by factionalists in Anantapur district, as a method to financially cripple opponents. It suggested changes in the tender system to ensure that factionalists do not get involved.

The committee recommended that officers, not below the rank of DSP, be involved, right from the stage of preparing the FIR, filing charge sheets and prosecution. The other recommendations included social ostracisation of people as a weapon to delink factionalism from politics, a special package for the Rayalaseema region, promotion of literacy, improving irrigation facilities, creating employment and distribution of surplus lands.

Among administrative measures suggested were enactment of a law to deal with factional violence, courts to try faction-related cases and a joint action committee comprising the revenue, police and locals to have a counselling system and put and end to factions at the place of origin itself.

The committee mentioned the role of NGOs, women's groups and the media. While NGOs/women's groups were asked to stage street plays to spread the message of peace, the media was asked to observe restraint.

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