Hyderabad: BJP Malkajgiri MP Eatala Rajender demanded chief minister A Revanth Reddy to protect the properties of 2,076 people who had purchased lands in Ekasila Nagar of Pocharam municipality; if the latter had any respect for democracy and concern for the poor.
Addressing the media after the incident on Tuesday, January 21, where he slapped a real estate broker for allegedly trying to grab the land measuring 149 acres bought mostly by the lower-rung government employees from rural areas; Eatala demanded the chief minister to order a comprehensive inquiry into the land grabbing attempts and justice for the victims who have been fighting to protect their lands for the past couple of decades.
He said that in 1985 layouts were made in 149 acres of Korremula village in the present Pocharam municipality and sold to 2,076 people.
“In 2006 a realtor used the help of the lower staff of the gram panchayat to create fake documents by altering revenue records to show those lands as agricultural lands. The victims got favourable orders from the courts thrice that this land belonged to them, but the realtor continued to harass the land owners,” Eatala said.
Eatala alleged that after the Dharani portal was introduced, the realtor used the help of district collector Amoy Kumar and got 9 acres registered in his name, and then went on to forcefully acquire 206 plots adjacent to his land out of a total of 2,076 plots in that area.
Pointing out that there were presently 700 houses constructed in those plots, Eatala claimed that when the owners of the plots went to the municipality for permission to construct houses, they were denied permission through the layout regularisation scheme (LRS).
Eatala alleged that on top of that, the realtor has been stationing over a hundred goons and hunting dogs to intimidate the victims (rightful owners). He also alleged that even the sub-inspector and circle inspector of Pocharam police station were acting at the behest of the land grabber and not supporting the victims.
“When the victims came to me yesterday and poured out their woes, I called the police commissioner and the collector to question what they were doing about the repeated land-grabbing incidents. I told them that I would come and visit Ekasila Nagar and speak with the victims today. Last night the goons questioned the victims what the MP could do, and also threatened them not to erect any tent or arrange chairs to hold a meeting there” Eatala said.
Eatala further explained that when he went to Ekasila Nagar on Tuesday, there were around 20 goons of the land grabber sitting with beer bottles as if they were throwing a challenge at him.
“When the victims showed me that they were the people who had been harassing them for the past couple of months I went towards them. When the police and revenue department failed to protect the victims despite them being protected by the court orders, the people will certainly revolt,” Eatala asserted.
Video: BJP MP Eatala Rajender slaps Medchal real estate agent
Eatala also pointed out that such land-grabbing issues were rampant in Balaji Nagar, Jawahar Nagar, and Arundhati Nagar, and for the past six months, the victims have been approaching him for justice.
Also drawing the attention of the chief minister to what he claimed, was the handiwork of Congress leaders in land-grabbing incidents in that area, Eatala urged the chief minister to warn those leaders and punish those officials who have been playing stooge to land-grabbers.
Eatala also said that he will certainly raise the issue of Ekasila Nagar with revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, CCLA commissioner Navin Mittal, Medchal-Malkajgiri district collector, and Rachakonda police commissioner.
