Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad   

Plan for land commission, says YSR

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy announced in the Assembly on Thursday that a land commission will be set up in the office of the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration here exclusively to look into land distribution to the poor. The body will be headed by a special commissioner.

Replying to a marathon debate on land distribution, an issue on which the Left parties are agitating, the Chief Minister also said lands occupied by the poor on hill slopes and canal bunds in urban areas will be regularised after seeking vacation of a stay given by the High Court. This will not, however, apply to lands occupied during the “Bhoo Poratam” (land struggle) by the Left parties.

The Opposition parties dubbed Dr. Reddy’s response as inadequate as they wanted an autonomous commission to deal with land-related issues. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi members staged a walkout while the Telugu Desam Party, CPI (M), CPI and MIM registered their protest.

In his two-hour-long reply, Dr Reddy said the Congress shared the communist ideology and, indeed, was more sincere than any other party on land reforms, citing distribution of 4.37 lakh acres to the poor so far by his Government. He remained non-committal on the demand by the Left parties to scrap all the cases booked against their activists during their recent land struggle.

The Chief Minister took potshots at the Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu, questioning the latter’s sincerity on land reforms. This sparked protests by TDP members who rushed to the podium several times. He said the Government will activate the existing assignment committees headed by MLAs and hoped this would more than make up the absence of the autonomy sought for the land commission.

Dr. Reddy remained non-committal on the demand by the Left parties to scrap all the cases booked against their activists during their recent land struggle.

Earlier, Revenue Minister D. Prasada Rao said the Government had accepted 74 of the 104 recommendations of the Koneru Ranga Rao Committee and would go ahead with their implementation by issuing a GO on Friday. This should not mean that the remaining recommendations had been rejected, he said.

Housing Minister B. Satyanarayana said that hereafter house sites will not be distributed but constructed house itself will be provided as a policy. Rural Development Minister G. Chinna Reddy said 2,000 acres of assigned land had been taken over around the city for public purpose or housing. The ban on acquisition of land in 15 mandals in Ranga Reddy district had been lifted.

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