Centre for CBI probe into scam

The Union home ministry has sought a report from the state government on the Miyapur land scam.

While Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao issued a statement on Tuesday that declared that there was no scam in the Miyapur land registrations, and so there was no need for a CBI probe, the Union home ministry is learnt to be keen on a CBI probe as some parcels of land registered in Miyapur belong to the CRPF, which comes under the Union home ministry.

The BJP leadership in the state has also demanded a CBI probe. The state government claims that the illegal registrations done in Miyapur are null and void, but the Union home minister is learnt to be concerned over legal complications cropping up if registrations are cancelled unilaterally, without a probe by the CBI that will establish the irregularities in land registrations. Should the need arise, the CBI report could be submitted in court to disprove anyone claiming rights over these lands in future.

Official sources said the Miyapur land registrations done in Survey No. 20 for 109 acres out of 244 acres, and in Survey No. 28 for 148 acres out of 385 acres, belong to the Centre as they are categorised as evacuee/ enemy property.

The Union home ministry has sought a report from the state government on the Miyapur land scam.

The Custodian of enemy property in Mumbai controls these lands across the country. The Union home ministry had sought land in Survey Nos. 20 and 28 to set up a CRPF C-30 Battalion camp in 2015, and the Custodian had sanctioned the land.

However, local people objected to the land being allotted to the CRPF, so the local revenue officer requested the camp be shifted. The CRPF rejected this request, saying that the land was allotted to it by the Centre.

Later, the state government pursued the case with the Centre seeking the Miyapur land to set up IT companies and offered to allot another piece of land for the CRPF in a letter written in 2016. There has been no response to this proposal from the Centre so far.

In the meanwhile, the Miyapur land scam broke out last month. Land in Survey Nos. 20 and 28, held by the CRPF was found to be registered in the name of private parties.

The CRPF complained to the Union home minister about this.

Sources said the ministry is likely to order a CBI probe on its own into the Miyapur land scam since the land belongs to it.