Hyderabad: An educational society belonging to cooperation minister Kasu Venkata Krishna Reddy’s family — SKRBR Junior College Society — has claimed compensation of Rs 6 crore from the government stating that its one acre land had been acquired by the Narasaraopet municipality for a road.
Ironically, it was because of the minister that the local municipality apparently built the road without following any procedures. The educational society had not objected when its land was acquired by the municipality — it had even built a compound wall leaving the area for the road free — and is now claiming compensation once the road project is over.
Official sources told this newspaper that the procedural lapses came to light during an inquiry initiated by commissioner and director of municipal administration B. Janardhan Reddy.
As per rules, the municipality is supposed to take permission from the state government since land acquisition is involved. The district collector also has to verify the need for building the road and then take up land acquisition through revenue authorities.
Maintaining that the motive behind keeping the government in the dark should be looked into, a senior state official said: “The government had alienated the land to the society at a nominal rate and it could have taken back a portion of it for public use even free of cost or by paying minimum compensation.”
The society, however, wants to be compensated at market price. When contacted, the minister’s son, Mahesh Reddy, said the society had not objected to the land being used in view of the urgency in building the road. “We will be happy if they give compensation. We are not craving for it,”?he said.
