Andhra Pradesh Government Urged To Release Rs 4,000 Crore For SC, ST R&R Package

Sangham legal advisor Inapurapu Suryanarayana told the media at Rajamahendravaram on Tuesday that the previous YSRC government had acquired 68,320 acres of land for housing schemes, of which 20,000 acres were D. Patta lands belonging to 40,000 families. While land compensation was given, he said the government had failed to provide the mandatory R&R package under Section 46 of the Land Acquisition Amendment Act.

He insisted that until the settlement of the R&R package, district collectors and land acquisition officers should not take over these lands. He also demanded criminal cases be booked against officials who proceed without addressing the package issue.

Further, he alleged a conspiracy behind the government’s plan to construct an arms factory at Aruguvarigudem in Jeelugumilli mandal of Eluru district by acquiring 1,600 acres. He noted that around 1,500 acres in the area originally belonged to non-tribals, who had left the lands to poor encroachers years ago. However, the original farmers still hold legal documents, and if the government acquires the land, compensation would go to them rather than to the current cultivators.

Suryanarayana also demanded that powers to issue Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe certificates be vested in Revenue Divisional Officers instead of Tahsildars. He cited a 1994 Supreme Court judgement that validated only RDO-issued certificates as legally binding. He said many cases of SC, ST atrocities had been quashed in the courts due to the invalid issuance of certificates by Tahsildars.