Joint Collector G. Srijana attended a gram sabha in Addasaram village in Rolugunta mandal to assess the problem of alleged land grabbing in the village on Wednesday, based on a complaint filed by PS Ajay Kumar, Co-Convenor of Swaraj Abiyan, and farmers.
About 40 families from Addasaram village and about 15 from the adjacent Konthalam village have been tilling a land measuring about 33 acres in survey numbers 79-1, 79-11, 79-12B, 79-15, 82-14B, 83 and 84, for the last six to seven decades.
The land originally belonged to one Duvvuri Venkata Chalamayya and the last legal heir was his granddaughter Duvvuri Surya Prakasam.
ADVERTISEMENT
‘Records tampered’
But the farmers claim that one Mr Rayavarapu Chandrasekhar had tampered land records pertaining to 33.64 acres cultivated by SC, ST, BC and OC farmers, in collusion with the revenue officials by producing fake documents, and was trying to grab their land.
Local sarpanch Apparao and MPTC Satyanarayana testified in the support of farmers.
ADVERTISEMENT
The farmers explained to the Joint Collector that they had been paying lease rent varying from ₹ 10 in those days to ₹ 700, but after 1995, they had lost touch with Ms. Surya Prakasam, the only legal heir.
Whereabouts of her are not known and as per the last report she had become mentally-challenged. She was not married and did not have any children, they informed Ms. Srijana.
Taking this as an advantage, a few persons allegedly tried to usurp the land and a case was lodged in Narsipatnam Court in 1998, and the then VRO certified them as tenant farmers and enjoyers of the land, which was also recorded in the weblands till last year December, the farmers said.
The farmers alleged that all the names of the tenant farmers have been systematically deleted from the ‘enjoyer’ column in a phased manner and the name of one Rayavarapu Chandrasekhar Rao has been included in both the ‘owner’ and ‘enjoyer’ columns and this has allegedly been done in collusion with the MRO, VRO and the computer operators.
After giving farmers a patient hearing, Ms. Srijana assured farmers that she will take appropriate measures following due process after examining the versions of both parties.
RDO Suryarao, Rolugunta mandal tehsildar P. Appalanaidu were present at the Grama Sabha.