An Eenadu report alleges that a BRS leader was involved in a scam where a real estate company unlawfully acquired 270 acres of land in Hyderabad's upscale Gandipet area by exploiting gaps in the Dharani system
Published Oct 30, 2024 | 7:00 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 30, 2024 | 7:00 PM
Alleged scam threatens BRS
It looks as though yet another scam accusation is all set to rock the principal opposition party in Telangana. Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) is cautious in the midst of Congress leaders’ claims that political bombs are set to go off in the state any time.
A story published in Eenadu on Wednesday, 30 October, suggested that a leader of the BRS had a hand in the scam in which a real estate company had knocked away 270 acres of land in the upscale area of Gandipet in Hyderabad, taking advantage of the lacunae in Dharani portal.
The scam pertains to a part of 300 acres of land which a society had purchased from two private patta holders 40 years ago for its 3000 members, which it later registered it to its members.
The real estate company in which the BRS leader has interests, had set eyes on the land and managed to get 270 acres valued at Rs.14,000 crore transferred to its name. Rangareddy district revenue officials with the help of an IAS officer are understood to have helped the real estate company in laying its hands on it, taking advantage of the lacunae in Dharani portal.
The modus operandi the real estate company adopted is quite interesting. The real estate company first floated shell companies which purchased the lands with money that had been transferred from Dubai and a few other countries. The state government which got wind of the scam, began inquiring into it discreetly.
The Enforcement Director (ED) also began inquiring into the scam after some people approached it with a request to initiate inquiry.
The woes of the society members began when they approached the revenue department after five years of registration of land on their names for converting the land into plots. The revenue officials told them that they could not do it since the lands in question came under the purview GO 111. The landowners again approached the officials in 2014 after the IT corridor and ORR came up. But they got the same reply from the officials. They then went to the court which gave an order in their favour.
The problems for the members of the society began once again after the previous government had brought in Dharani portal. The revenue officials, while transferring land records into the portal, defined the lands in question as private patta lands. As a result, the lands remained in the name of the original patta holders.
As Dharani did not have the option to record the names of those who are in possession of land, the land was not in the name of the society members. The society claimed that it was the owner of the land but since Dharnai showed it as someone else’s land, their claims were dismissed.
As there was no alternative left, the society members approached the court once again. Their petition is yet to be adjudicated. Meanwhile, the officials have transferred these lands into the prohibited order book (POB), classifying them as prohibited properties.
The real estate company representatives who had an eye on these lands, managed to get an IAS officer and revenue officials to work for them. The officials then approached the original patta land owners and made them issue GPAs to two others. Then the officials made the GPA holders sell the lands to some shell companies.
Meanwhile, the IAS officer, to benefit the real estate company, removed some lands from the POB. Later the revenue officials had registered 270 acres in favour of shell companies and a few other individuals. Then the real estate company “purchased” the lands from the shell companies and the individuals.
Incidentally, the ED examined IAS officer Amoy Kumar on 23 October based on an FIR which Maheshwaram Police had issued. The case pertains to allegations of occurrence of irregularities in respect of 42 acres of Bhoodan lands worth hundreds of crores rupees in Nagaram in Maheswaram mandal in Rangareddy district when he was the collector of Rangareddy district in the past. He is at present in the Animal Husbandry Department.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
