EAS Sarma demands CBI probe into Daspalla land scam

Visakhapatnam: Former union Secretary EAS Sarma has urged the Andhra Pradesh government to refer the Daspalla land case to the Central Bureau of Investigation for an independent investigation to unravel the facts so as to enable the State government to place all the factual information before the Supreme Court in order to uphold public interest. […]

Visakhapatnam: Former union Secretary EAS Sarma has urged the Andhra Pradesh government to refer the Daspalla land case to the Central Bureau of Investigation for an independent investigation to unravel the facts so as to enable the State government to place all the factual information before the Supreme Court in order to uphold public interest.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma on Sunday, he reminded that he had written a letter last month to the government demanding it to safeguard its interest in the Daspalla land in the heart of Visakhapatnam city which was claimed by some private parties, preferably by an independent agency like the CBI. Reiterating his demand, Dr. Sarma referred to reports that the apex court had disallowed the government’s petition, as a result of which this land, the value of which may run into an astronomical figure at today’s market prices, will be appropriated by some private parties which was a highly disturbing development.

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“I am not sure whether the government had ensured that all possible documentary evidence along with compelling arguments had been placed before the apex court to press its claim convincingly. I demand a thorough, independent enquiry into this, as the public have a stake in the land,” he stated.

Referring to media reports, Dr. Sarma noted that there were allegations about the bonafides of some persons who seem to be interested in appropriating the land for their own benefit. The government should order an investigation into this, preferably by an external investigating agency like the CBI, so that all the relevant facts may come to light without delay. If the government fails to commission an investigation by the CBI into this matter urgently, the public will be constrained to draw an inference that all is not appropriate with the goings on in the case of the Daspalla land and that there are extraneous forces at play, influencing the fate of the land in question, he remarked.

“Keeping in view the strategic location of this land and its value, I am marking a copy of this letter to the CBI for appropriate action. It is highly distressing to see the government adopting a ‘helpless’ attitude, when such a prestigious, valuable stretch of land, in which the State Government’s own “Circuit House” is located, is slipping into the hands of a few private persons. In this matter, the government owes a satisfactory reply to the people of Vizag and the people of the State,” he said.