The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Locals cry foul over `outsiders'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 09, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Locals cry foul over `outsiders'

By Our Staff Reporter

CAUGHT UNAWARES?: Villagers of Kompally gathering near the Foxsagar lakebed on Saturday complaining about illegal allotment of house sites .

HYDERABAD, JAN. 8. A dry lakebed in a growing city means enticement for land sharks. But, here is an example of the Government itself earmarking housing plots for the poor and weaker sections on such a piece of land.

And, now the administration is also being accused of turning a blind eye to alleged irregularities as aggrieved locals cry foul. The Government had announced sanction of 600 and odd plots to villagers of Kompally (Qutbullapur mandal of Ranga Reddy district) near the Foxsagar last year. But, when allotment certificates were issued, they were shocked to find that more than three-fourths of the 60-yard plots had gone to "outsiders."

"We have been living here for the last two decades. I have a ration card and an electoral identity card but no plot was allotted," wail Padma and Satyanarayana Raju. "Our names were in the allottees' list but those who had come to live here in the last few months got the plots," complains Subba Raju.

`Signatures forged'

Villagers accuse their sarpanch, Kavita, her husband, Srisailam Yadav, and the upa sarpanch, Yellesh Yadav, of playing dirty and in connivance with local revenue officials in the irregularities. "Beneficiaries' names have been changed illegally, allottees' names and signatures have been forged and the plots sold to outsiders. Lakhs of rupees are changing hands as land rates are high," alleges Nagi Reddy.

Striking part of the plots are well laid out 30-foot roads and streetlights provided by the gram panchayat and many similar-looking concrete pillar constructions that would do any layout proud. "Can daily wage labourers like us build such houses? Even if we get plots we cannot build houses straightaway," points out Subbaraju. "I have two physically challenged persons in my house, how is it that I am denied a plot," asks Govind. The Ranga Reddy district BJP president, S. Malla Reddy, who took presspersons to the site, charges the Congress sarpanch and the Telugu Desam upa sarpanch with being hand in glove with local officials in the scam. "More than 500 plot certificates have been forged and sold in the open by them," he alleges. Mr. Reddy is also convinced that "the plots are sure to get submerged during good rain".

The lake was in the news during the August 2000 floods when it reached the brim and any big breach was a threat to some of the colonies in the capital. The party had already brought the issue to the notice of the district Collector and filed a police complaint. Mr. Reddy wants Congress and TDP leaders to take note of the issue and the Government to take appropriate action and ensure that genuine villagers become plot owners.

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