The Hindu : National : Over 8 acres of assigned land occupied by Jayalalithaa: A.P.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 30, 2007
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National

National

Over 8 acres of assigned land occupied by Jayalalithaa: A.P.

It is political vengeance, says AIADMK general secretary

Jayalalithaa

HYDERABAD : The extent of assigned land near Hyderabad found in the possession of the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa has been put at eight acres and 10 `guntas' by the Andhra Pradesh Government. (Forty `guntas' make an acre.)

Andhra Pradesh Revenue Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao said here on Monday that steps had been taken to resume the land located close to the city in Petbasheerabad village in Qutbullapur mandal of Ranga Reddy district. Revenue records identified Ms Jayalalithaa as its present possessor.

In a statement issued in Chennai on Sunday, Ms. Jayalalithaa charged that the Andhra Pradesh Government had issued an eviction notice on her property to ``wreak political vengeance.'' She said the State Government took action because her party had taken part in agitations organised inside and outside Parliament by the Telugu Desam Party on the land controversy surrounding the Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

A notice issued to her by the Mandal Revenue Officer, Qutbullapur, said the land was originally assigned by the Government to three beneficiaries, all landless poor, in 1956-58. Her possession of the land now was in contravention of the Andhra Pradesh Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfers) Act 1977, he said.

The Act provides for takeover of such land if found to be in the possession of others. Such land should either be distributed to the original assignees or used for a public purpose if they are not traced.

Mr. Prasada Rao said the records showed that the land was purchased from three assignees — Yerra Sailu (3 acres and 20 guntas), K. Ramaswamy (3 acres and 15 guntas) and Dappu Pochaiah (1 acre and 15 guntas). Ms. Jayalalithaa was the direct purchaser in one case — Yerra Sailu's land — while N. R. Sandhya and Chakuri Suryanarayana Raju were identified as the other two vendees.

The notice asked the AIADMK leader to show cause within 15 days why she should not be evicted and buildings or crops on the land, if any, forfeited.

The Minister said Ms. Jayalalithaa's representation, if any, would be considered in the proper spirit if she submitted evidence that the lands were not assigned. Her criticism that the Congress Government was indulging in ``political vendetta'' was born out of apprehensions. "Nobody is above law." He asked her to cooperate to make the land distribution in Andhra Pradesh a success.

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