Vigilance talks to villagers around Etala’s hatcheries

Several teams of Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) wing and Revenue department are camping in Achampet and Hakimpet villages to probe into the land-grabbing allegations. V&E officials are led by an officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police Manohar while the revenue officials are led by District Collector S. Harish and Additional Collector Ramesh.

The teams spoke to farmers, whose lands were allegedly taken possession of forcibly by Jamuna Hatcheries, owned by Etala Rajendar.

Meanwhile, revenue officials, led by Toopran RDO Ramprakash also began an inquiry. Harish and Ramesh visited the villages to check the progress.

Teams from vigilance, ACB, revenue and survey department started inquiry at the ground-level at 8 am and completed it by evening. Farmers told the inquiry teams that Rajendar and his henchmen snatched their lands by threatening them and paid just `2 lakh to `3 lakh per acre. A team, led by Vigilance and Enforcement DG Purnachandra Rao, who is also DG of ACB, examined the lands in Hakimpet village.

A digital survey of 177 acres was carried out within three hours. The most advanced DGPS survey machines were used to ensure accuracy. All the surveyors in three revenue divisions of Medak district were deployed for accomplishing the digital survey within a few hours.

The survey covered not only lands where Jamuna Hatcheries is located but also the adjoining government and assigned lands. It is learnt that the company even mortgaged three acres of assigned land in Survey No. 130 of Achampet with Canara Bank, Abids branch in Hyderabad, and had obtained loans.

V&E SP Manohar told reporters that their inquiry could continue for another two or three more days, that is till they came to a conclusion.