Noose tightens, probe into Etala’s deals fast-tracked

Officials skim through records to assess extent of encroachments by ousted minister’s family

After a brief lull, the state government has stepped up investigation into the alleged encroachment of assigned and endowment lands by ousted health minister Etala Rajendar.

Officials from Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) and Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) visited Masaipet on Monday and examined land records from the time as old as from 1980 at the MRO office to assess the extent of assigned land encroachments by Jamuna Hatcheries owned by family members of Rajender.

Simultaneously, officials from the revenue department conducted an inquiry into the issue on Monday. Masaipet mandal revenue officer (MRO) Malathi and Veldurthi MRO Suresh visited the assigned lands and recorded the statements of village secretaries on how the lands were transferred to Jamuna Hatcheries.

Speaking to the media later, both the MROs said that Jamuna Hatcheries obtained NiC (no objection certificate) for regularisation of assigned lands by exerting pressure on village secretaries in

2018 and 2019. They said that Jamuna Hatcheries was setting up a poultry feed plant against the norms in Hakimpet even after the village secretaries issued notices twice to stop the works.

They said the village secretaries stopped the works after it was found that the firm was laying roads over an extent of

5.35 acres against norms. The MROs informed that they had issued notices to 75 farmers owning 90 acres and a comprehensive land survey would be conducted from May 26 to 28 to ascertain the extent of encroachments.

The Medak district administration had earlier surveyed these lands and submitted a report to the state government on May 1 stating that Rajendar’s poultry farm had encroached 66 acres.

However, the Huzurabad MLA’s family members challenged the report in the High Court. The High Court questioned the 'unusual haste' by officials in completing 170-acre survey in a single day and set aside the report submitted by Medak collector S Harish. The inquiry was halted since then.

Similarly, the probe into the encroachment of Devarayamjal temple lands by Rajendar too was halted on May 8 after the High Court observed why there was an urgency to form IAS officers committee and engage senior officials and district collectors to probe into this issue at a time when people were dying due to Covid-19 in the state.

The government told the court that it was only a preliminary inquiry and a detailed inquiry will be conducted later.

Official sources said the government asked the committee to resume the probe and submit a report to the government in two weeks.

These probe reports will be submitted to the High Court which is expected to hear these cases again in July.