Lok Satta seeks probe into benami compensation
HYDERABAD: Lok Satta Party charged that some people's representatives in collusion with officials had drawn compensation in the names of benami farmers in the land acquisition for the proposed aluminium factory by the Jindals in Boddavara region of S. Kota mandal in Vizianagaram district causing a financial loss to the tune of Rs 10 crore to the government of the Rs 22.44 crore paid as compensation.
While some fake landholders managed to get huge compensation, some genuine farmers were paid only nominal or nil compensation, it said in a release.
A five-member committee headed by the party's Vizianagaram unit, Bhisetty Babji, had conducted an inquiry in which the irregularities came out and they submitted a report to party president Jayaprakash Narayan. Although he had forwarded the report to the chief minister on September 8 seeking an inquiry, no action has been taken.
Now the party has demanded an immediate inquiry into this and action against the guilty and justice to the displaced farmers.
According to the report, in five villages, 12 benami farmers were paid Rs 35 lakh as compensation. Further, it was paid only for a part of the land acquired from D patta holders. Even in their case, officials handed over cheques to brokers instead of landholders so that they could have their cut. B Memo land holders were not paid any compensation at all.
Moreover, there were no proper records concerning land acquisition. Also, the records available did not tally with one another and some records looked apparently newly forged, said the report.