Rahejas, Satyam in naxalites' 'land grabbers' list

The Communist Party of India-Maoist and Janashakti naxalites have demanded the distribution of 27,000 acres of prime land in and around Hyderabad "encroached upon or occupied" by business houses, IT firms, pharma companies, real estate developers, film producers and other "vested interests."

Also Read Two prominent naxalite outfits merge Stage set for historic peace talks

On the third day of the peace talks in Hyderabad on Sunday, CPI-Maoist and Janashakti leaders furnished a list of 43 individuals and firms which own hundreds of acres of land on the outskirts of the twin cities of Hyderabad-Secunderabad. They claimed the land is agricultural land "encroached" upon with patronage extended by successive governments.

The naxalites want the government to ensure that all "big land grabbers or occupiers" are removed so that the land could be distributed to the landless poor. They pointed out that a majority of the land allotments were made during the nine-year rule of former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

The naxalites have asked the government to either take over the land or collect market value from the owners. They have made it clear to the government delegation led by Home Minister K Jana Reddy that the starting point for implementing land reforms must be the distribution land under possession of these influential people.

By setting right the injustices of the past, the government will not only send out a strong signal about its intentions, but will also prove its sincerity and commitment to the cause of land reforms, CPI-Maoist leader Ramakrishna and CPI-ML Janashakti leader Amar told the home minister.

The government, sources said, has been taken aback by this demand.

The CPI-Maoist-Janashakti list of major occupiers of prime lands around the twin cities include: Ramoji Film City (2,000 acres), Sanghi group (1,500 acres), Satyam Computers & Byrraju Foundation (2,000 acres), Dr Reddy's Labs
(1,000 acres), Jana Harsha (2,000 acres), Narne Estates (2,000 acres), GPR Estates (1,000 acres), Sri Mithra Real Estates (1,000 acres), Tulla Devender Goud family (1,500 acres), Sreenidhi Real Estates (1,000 acres), Jayabheri Estates (2,000 acres), Raheja Estates (1,000 acres), L&T (1,000 acres), IMG Bharatha Academy (800 acres), Indian School of Business (250 acres), AWARE (500 acres), Sylvan University (200 acres), Genome Valley (ICICI Knowledge Park, Shapurji Pallonji Biotech Park (3,000 acres), Wipro, Infosys, Microsoft, Oracle, GE and other IT companies (1,000 acres), besides Ramanaidu Studios, Annapurna Studios, Padmalaya Studios, Ramakrishna Studios, CC Studios, IMAX theatre and other commercial and trade organizations, real estate builders, farm houses, resorts, guest houses, clubs, luxury houses, tourism projects, etc. 

The naxalite leaders also alleged that Chandrababu Naidu holds 'benami' shares in a real estate firm owned by a leading Telugu film actor and in a top-class construction company. They also claimed that the family of Devender Goud, former home and revenue minister in the Chandrababu Naidu cabinet, owns 1,500 acres of lands.