The Hindu : Front Page : Assigned land takeover in fixed timeframe

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 18, 2006
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Assigned land takeover in fixed timeframe

Special Correspondent

APCC expresses support for YSR's initiative

ALL'S WELL: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy greeting former Chief Minister Nadendla Bhaskara Rao as N. Janardhana Reddy, APCC president K.Keshava Rao and Minister for Finance K. Rosaiah look on at the APCC executive meeting in Hyderabad on Sund ay. -Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Sunday fully backed the efforts of Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy to take over assigned lands in a fixed timeframe so that the poor are benefited.

The APCC executive meeting, held here in the backdrop of Dr. Reddy surrendering 310 acres land and the subsequent demand from the Opposition seeking his prosecution, saw the party leaders expressing wholehearted support for the gesture. Hailing the move, they said the decision would pave way for the second phase of land reforms.

The APCC chief, K. Keshava Rao, hoped others would follow suit. "The decision is a path breaking measure that the Congress has adopted and it will usher in a new agrarian, people-oriented revolution," he told reporters.

District panels

The party would constitute district-level committees to identify the assigned lands, he said.

The right to land should form part of the proposed legislation on land reforms and assigned lands. All Government lands, assigned, surplus and unused lands should go to the people as a right.

Dr. Reddy said close to 55-lakh acres had been distributed to the poor so far but at least 20 per cent of these might be in the hands of the rich and influential. If the assigned lands were surrendered to the Government, at least nine lakh poor people would benefit. He also took a dig at the TDP president for encouraging corporate farming.

Note of caution

Party legislator P. Janardhan Reddy reportedly cautioned the Government not to allot land to companies indiscriminately.

The Government should incorporate a clause wherein the land allotted to companies could not be disposed of. Rajya Sabha member V. Hanumantha Rao said Dr. Reddy would continue in power because of his good decisions.

Former Revenue Minister, P. Narsa Reddy, said that there was bound to be lot of pressure from the leaders on the move to reclaim assigned land. AICC secretary P. Sudhakar Reddy alleged that Left parties' leaders were also in possession of assigned lands.

The Chief Minister was said to have shot down a proposal from the APCC chief to convene an all-party meeting on assigned lands. Former Chief Ministers N. Janardhana Reddy and N. Bhaskara Rao, Finance Minister K. Rosaiah, former Minister M. Satyanaryana Rao and others attended the meeting.

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