Andhra Pradesh Launches Probe into Biggest-Ever Land Scams in India

09 Aug 2024 CW Team

The newly formed TDP-led NDA government in Andhra Pradesh has initiated an inquiry into what is being described as possibly the "biggest-ever land scam in the country since Independence." This inquiry is based on allegations made by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who claimed that the scandal occurred during the YSRCP's tenure.

At the first Collectors? conference on August 5, the Chief Minister alleged that his predecessor, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, had introduced the "land freehold policy" with the malicious intent of appropriating large amounts of land from the government and innocent assignees. According to Naidu, the previous government had allegedly started the process of alienating up to 9 lakh acre of land to private individuals as part of this policy.

RP Sisodia, Special Chief Secretary for Revenue (Land, Registration, and Stamps), noted that the freehold process was applied to various categories of land, including assigned lands, village service Inaam lands, 'Sharathulugala Patta' lands (lands with specific restrictions), and dotted lands. However, out of all the land converted to freehold, only 25,236 acre were officially registered. Sisodia mentioned that there could be agreements or General Power of Attorneys (GPAs) made outside the registration process.

Sisodia has directed the Collectors of six districts?Tirupati, Chittoor, Kadapa, Annamayya, Prakasam, and Sri Sathya Sai?to form district-level committees. These committees will be led by the Special Deputy Collector and will include the assistant registrar, tahsildar, and mandal surveyor. Their task will be to reverify the lands that were converted to freehold status, investigate gift or sale transactions involving these lands, and scrutinise the details of assignees and land purchasers to uncover any fraudulent or undervalued transactions.

Real Estate

11 May 2026

Danube Launches Greenz Villa Community in Dubai

Danube Properties has launched Greenz by Danube, a fully furnished master villa community in Dubai, unveiled by H.E. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, at an event attended by over 7,000 investors and business leaders.Located near Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Silicon Oasis, the development marks Danube’s first large-scale integrated villa community and is positioned within one of Dubai’s emerging residential corridors.The project will comprise three and four-bedroom townhouses along with five-bedroom semi-detached and twin villas...

ABB Launches IE6 Motor for Hazardous Industrial Areas

ABB has introduced what it claims is the world’s first IE6 Hyper-Efficiency motor certified for hazardous industrial environments under ATEX and IECEx standards.The new Increased Safety motor is based on ABB’s synchronous reluctance (SynRM) technology and is designed without magnets or rare earth materials. According to the company, the motor reduces energy losses by up to 60 per cent compared to standard IE3 induction motors commonly used in hazardous areas.The motor is intended for use in industries such as chemicals, marine, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals and food and beverage, where expl..

Casagrand Launches 41-Acre Highcity Project in Chennai

Casagrand has launched Casagrand Highcity, a 41-acre integrated residential development on Chennai’s Outer Ring Road (ORR), marking the company’s largest residential project to date.The project will comprise over 4,000 two and three BHK apartments across four G+22 towers and is positioned as one of the largest organised residential developments in the ORR corridor.Located along Chennai’s emerging residential and infrastructure growth belt, the project benefits from connectivity to IT hubs including Navalur, Siruseri SIPCOT and Porur, as well as industrial clusters such as Sriperumbudur, ..