The Hindu                      28.03.2013

Kadapa Collector told to evict encroachers

Special Correspondent 

Upa-Lokayuktha Justice M.V.S. Krishnaji Rao, who held a
‘camp court’ at Tirupati on Wednesday, held elaborate discussions on a
gamut of issues with the heads of all the concerned departments like
endowments, revenue, medical and health and so on and issued a slew of
orders.

Later talking to the media persons, the
Upa-Lokayuktha also took the occasion to explain to the media the
distinct powers and the jurisdictions of the Lokayuktha and
Upa-Lokayuktha and said except for the Chief Ministers, all Ministers,
MLAs, MLCs would come under the purview of the Lokayuktha.

As
for the government servants, while from collectors and junior IAS
officers down to the cadre of attenders would come under the ambit of
the Upa-Lokayuktha, the Lokayuktha would have jurisdiction of senior IAS
officers. Similarly, barring private cases, the two Lokayukthas has
powers to take up all other cases, either suo moto on the basis of news
paper reports or on the basis of the complaints brought to their notice,
or referred to them by the Governor.

As to the
specific issues discussed and decisions taken at the sitting here on
Wednesday, the Upa-Lokayuktha cited the orders issued asking collector
and joint collector, Kadapa district, to take immediate steps to
retrieve from alleged encroachers 115 acres of land at Proddatur
belonging to Pitla Thayaramma Charitable Trust and hand it over to the
Endowments Department. He attributed the delay in the retrieval of the
land to the lack of coordination between the revenue and the endowments
department.

He said if the government house sites
allotted to journalists were found to be in the possession of
non-journalists, such lands would be immediately resumed and action
would be taken against the concerned. He also ordered that shopping
areas under the control of major temples must be auctioned every three
years and allotted to highest bidders, to check the menace of
sub-leasing for exorbitant rates.

TTD and endowments officials besides the Lokayuktha DSP took part in the review meeting.