The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) has been hit by a “land scam”, as 1,450 sq yards of returnable plots were registered in a man’s name for an acre of non-existent land he was supposed to have given for building the state capital, an official has said.

He said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has taken a serious view of the alleged land scam and directed CRDA to submit a report within three days.

“The registered plots (2×500 sq yds residential and 1×450 sq yds commercial) are said to be worth Rs 45 million as per the prevailing market value in the region. The man was supposed to have given the land under the state’s land pooling scheme for the capital city- Amaravati,” the official said.

CRDA claims it is the handiwork of a computer operator and a police complaint has been lodged and criminal action against those involved in the scandal was sought.

The government, through the CRDA, “pooled” over 33,000 acres of land in 2015 for building the state’s new capital city Amaravati.

For every acre of wet land taken from the farmers, the government returned 1,000 sq yds of residential and 450 sq yds of commercial plots and promised to develop all infrastructures in the layouts.

There have been many allegations in the last two years related to discrepancies in the land pooling and allocation of returnable plots to many ineligible “beneficiaries”.

It then came to light that the one acre that Khan claimed to be his land was in fact a submerged portion in river Krishna and belonged to none.

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