TRS Govt Intensifies Probe Into Etela Land Encroachment Case

The Telangana state government has intensified probe into senior TRS leader, Etela Rajender's alleged land encroachment case. 

On Monday, TS Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao ordered a comprehensive probe into the alleged temple land grabbing at Devarayamjal village of Shamirpet mandal in Medchal-Malkajgiri district.

Already, Etela is in trouble for his alleged encroachment of nearly 60 acres of assigned lands in Achampet and Hakimpet villages of Medak district. Etela was already stripped of his portfolio over land grabbing allegations and was also sacked and dropped from Chief Minister KCR's cabinet.

According to the Government Order (GO) issued by Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, Telangana government had received many complaints over hundreds of acres of encroachments and illegal transactions of lands belonging to Lord Seetha Rama Swamy temple located at Devarayamjal.

According to the GO, the endowments department claims that Etela and a few other individuals allegedly encroached 1,521 acres belonging to the said temple. These individuals are said to have illegally occupied a large scale of temple land in their own names as well as under benami.

According to reports, the encroached land is worth more than Rs 1,000 crore, and the temple was defrauded of valuable assets. Large constructions have also been built on these lands without valid permits and in flagrant violation of many laws.

The GO stated, "Besides gravely hurting the sentiments of the devotees and the donors, it is alleged that these actions constitute grave violations of several laws in force."

According to Somesh Kumar, the government has ordered a thorough investigation into the matter by a committee of officials comprising M. Raghunanandan Rao, Panchayat Raj commissioner, Nalgonda District Collector Prashanth Jeevan Patil, Mancherial Collector Bharati Holikari, and Medchal-Malkajgiri Collector Swetha Mohanty.

The committee has been asked to conduct a thorough investigation and submit the details of encroachers and the lands they have encroached upon, as well as the extent of the encroachment, details of encroachers' documents, violations of existing government laws, the extent of vacant property, the extent of land under encroachment by the benamis and the powerful people behind them, the amount of revenue loss to the temple, and recommended action. 

The committee was asked to send a report to the government as soon as possible without specifying any timeframe.