Row Over Vattinagulapally Land: KTR Alleges Extortion by Minister, Landowners Deny Political Links
Avinav Shah, one of the landowners, said he owned one acre in Survey No. 259 and described the dispute as an internal family matter that was being politicised.
Hyderabad: The BRS on Monday alleged that revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and his family members were trying to grab 27 acres of land valued at `1,400 crore in Vattinagulapally from a private individual, and had brought tremendous pressure upon the owner to hand over the property to the minister's son.
The allegations were levelled by BRS leaders K.T. Rama Rao, and T. Harish Rao, accompanied by one Satish Shah, who said the land in question belonged to him, at a press conference at Vattinagulapally.
Separately, the landowners strongly denied these allegations and stated that the minister and his family had no connection with the land dispute in Survey No. 245, and clarified that no development agreement had been signed with Raghava Constructions. Speaking at Press Club-Somajiguda, the landowners dismissed allegations by BRS leaders that Srinivas Reddy was attempting to encroach upon the land by misusing his official position, and called the claims baseless and politically motivated.
Rama Rao said that Satish Shah’s family owned the land for the past 60 years, and that it was in their name all this time. As Vattinagulapalli began developing, the value of the land increased. “With the land value around `1,400 crore, Ponguleti began eyeing the land. The minister, along with his son Harsha Reddy, went to Satish Shah’s house and warned him that if he does not give the land for development, he will have to face serious consequences,” Rama Rao alleged.
The landowners speaking at Somajiguda refuted Rama Rao’s claims, stating that the issue was a family dispute related to boundary demarcation and questioned why political leaders and private firms were being dragged into it. They said they had presented all relevant documents before the media for transparency and alleged that misleading claims were being made about the land’s value.
Challenging the claims of Rama Rao, they said they were willing to sell the land for ₹600 crore if it was truly worth ₹1,400 crore as claimed.
Avinav Shah, one of the landowners, said he owned one acre in Survey No. 259 and described the dispute as an internal family matter that was being politicised. He urged the BRS leaders to hear all sides before levelling allegations. Avinav Shah added that he had been seeking a land survey since 2020 and called for demarcation as per court directions to ensure each owner got their rightful share. He denied allegations of threats or illegal road construction.
Other landowners, including Akshay Shah and Sudhir Kumar Shah said that the land has been in the family since 1969 and that a proper survey across Survey No.s 259, 245 and 262 would resolve the dispute amicably.
Siddharth Gade of NewGen Developers clarified that his firm was only executing development work on land given by owners and had no role in the dispute. He said the agreement was with NewGen and not Raghava Constructions, and expressed concern over reputational damage due to false allegations.
