Visakhapatnam: Land grabbers and some real estate businessmen in Vizag city have allegedly formed a gang and distributed some posh areas and locations among themselves to grab valuable land on the city’s outskirts. Owners of a few chunks of lands are allegedly usurping adjacent land properties using money and muscle power.
Meanwhile, the police are struggling to deal with land dispute cases due to shortage of staff in the Document Fraud Investigation Team (DFIT) wing.
Real estate sources at PM Palem, Madhurawada, Kommadi, Anandapuram and Bheemili said real estate brokers and anti-social elements, faking as real estate agents, had reached at an understanding over the land under their control to avoid clashes among themselves.
A senior IPS officer said a majority of people eye PM Palem, Madhurawada, Bheemili and few other areas where real-estate boom has touched its peak and chances of major projects are high.
Some people, including builders, real-estate brokers and a few others having knowledge of civil laws in land dispute are involved in land grabbing using forged documents to earn fast money, he added.
“With prime areas in Vizag city such as MVP Colony, East Point Colony, Seethammadhara, Lawson’s Bay Colony, CBM Compound and few other areas having turned into concrete jungles with not an inch of land to spare, land grabbers and real-estate businessmen are eyeing vacant lands of NRIs, old couples and a few others at PM Palem and Madhurawada,” said inspector K.L. Murthy.
A DCP-rank officer said, “Police teams have been in the job to nab wanted land grabbers in the city under the PD Act. However, shortage of manpower in some key wings has affected the investigation.”
