Telangana: Bhoodan land demolition case sparks fresh controversy in Khammam
A fact-finding committee has raised questions over alleged encroachment and conflicting records in the Velugumatla Bhoodan land case in Khammam. It has urged the government to clarify land ownership, investigate illegal pattas, and rehabilitate affected families.
Khammam: There seems to be no end in sight to the controversy surrounding demolition of houses on Bhoodan lands at Velugumatla village in Khammam Urban mandal in the district on February 24 and the extent of land donated to Bhoodan Yagna Board.
The issue has come to the fore once again with a fact-finding committee headed by retired judge Justice B Chandra Kumar seeking an enquiry into alleged encroachment of Bhoodan lands in Survey No: 147,148 and 149 of Velugumatla.
A report submitted by the committee demanded the State government to come clear on the extent of land gifted to Bhoodan Yagna Board. The report said that during 1960’s to 1990, the adangal pahanies show that the entire extent of land is 62 acres and seven guntas. Some records show that Kalvala Vekata Raja Rama Rao had donated 31.04 acres of land in the said survey numbers.
Whereas an order by Joint Collector Khammam in prohibition of transfers (POT) revision 4/2008 dated March 6, 2013, revealed an extent of 31-21 acres of land, the same survey numbers were donated to an individual N Gopala Krishna Reddy with a reference to Bhoodan Yagna Board A/74/2007 dated April 13, 2007.
It might be noted that the district administration maintained that in 1953, Raja Rama Rao donated only 31 acres and seven guntas of land, contrary to the claims made by the fact-finding that the total extent of land was 62 acres and seven guntas.
If Bhoodan land was under illegal encroachment, the same has to be dealt with as the grabbed land and civil and criminal action should be initiated, and entire land should be restored to the Bhoodan Yagna Board, the report suggested.
The board issued a letter dated February 27, 2018, stating that 31.07 acres of land were allotted to 818 beneficiaries (every 100 yards as a house site). However Bhoodan Yagna board again issued another letter in TBYB/B/27/2019 dated March 2, 2019, stating that no proceedings were issued granting said house pattas.
It was not clear which letter in true, if at all bogus house site pattas were issued, what action the government had taken against G Rajender Reddy, the then chairman of Bhoodan Yagna Board, for issuing bogus house site pattas, the report questioned.
The fact-finding committee wanted the government to make a list of all the persons whose houses and sheds were dismantled, to prepare a list of beneficiaries eligible for house sites pattas and a gram sabha should be held after due notification.
The names of all those whose houses have been dismantled and names of all the eligible beneficiaries should be finalised in gram sabha and they should be given house site pattas and financial help for construction of houses, it demanded.
