Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Forest and Environment Pawan Kalyan has directed the senior officials of the department to register criminal cases against former YSRCP minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and his family members ,who encroached on forest lands in Chittoor district, as well as cases under forest laws.
He also said that the officials who failed to stop the Peddireddy family from encroaching on forest lands should be identified and departmental action should be taken against them. The Vigilance and Enforcement DG has investigated the allegations and confirmed that the Peddireddy family has encroached on forest, government and Bugga Math lands in Chittoor district and submitted a report.
After examining the report, Pawan Kalyan discussed the encroachment of forest lands with the senior officials of the department. Later, he ordered the officials to take action in accordance with the recommendations of the Vigilance and Enforcement DG.
It may be recalled that a three-member committee has reported to the government that the encroachment of Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy’s family forest, government and Bugga Math lands in Mangalampet, Chittoor district is true.
The joint committee comprising the district collector, SP and forest conservator has concluded that 27 acres of land in the forest area has been encroached upon. The committee stated that a borehole was dug in the forest area without permission and used for personal purposes.
While there are registration documents for only 75.74 acres in the names of Peddireddy Mithun Reddy, Ramachandra Reddy, Indiramma and Dwarkanath Reddy, the committee found that the pattadars have fenced off 103 acres. That is, it is stated that 27.98 acres of forest land have been encroached upon.
According to the Mangalampet Forest Gazette dated September 16, 1968, a road of 2.413 kilometers and 30 feet wide was allowed to be built in an area of 2.0574 hectares.
The Peddireddy family built a 2.50 kilometer road. The committee found that the road was built 87 meters more than what was allowed.
It stated that while 75.75 acres of survey numbers 295 and 299 in Mangalampet had Rytwari patta, it is not understood why registration transactions were made in the name of survey numbers 295 and 296 in 2001 and 2002 and Adangal amendments were made in 2017.