A three-member official committee has submitted a report to the government confirming that the forest encroachment of YSRCP leader and former minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy’s family in Mangalampet, Chittoor district is true. The joint committee comprising the district collector, SP and forest conservator has concluded that they have encroached on 27 acres of land in the forest area.
The committee stated that they dug a borehole in the forest area without permission and used it 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.
This means that they have encroached on 27.98 acres of forest land. According to the Mangalampet Forest Gazette dated September 16, 1968, a road of 2.413 kilometers and a width of 30 feet was allowed to be built in an area of 2.0574 hectares. The Peddi Reddy family built a 2.50 kilometer road. The committee found that the road was built 87 meters more than what was allowed.
The committee stated that it is not clear why 75.75 acres of survey numbers 295 and 299 in Mangalampet had a ryotwari patta, but registration transactions were made in the name of survey numbers 295 and 296 in 2001 and 2002 and the Adangal amendments were made in 2017.
Meanwhile, the authorities conducted a survey a few days ago on the encroachment of forest lands by former minister and Punganur MLA Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and his family members in the Mangalampet forest area. The survey was conducted from morning to evening on the lands under the control of Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy.
Revenue officials, along with forest and survey department staff, used GPS to calculate the total area of land there. Based on that, they examined the extent of forest lands and other lands in it.