The Amara Raja Batteries, the firm owned by TDP MP Galla Jayadev’s family in Chittoor is caught having encroached over 21 acres of forest land.
According to the officials of the AP Forest Department, the Amara Raja Batteries had encroached 8.40 acres of forest land in Karakambadi Panchayat of Chittoor district.
This was in addition to 10.87 acres of forest land given to the company in 2000 by the TDP Government with due clearance from the Central government.
The company had constructed a compound wall in the forest land around its factory in Karakambadi village.
The firm also encroached another 18 acres of forest land in the same Karakambadi village by the Mangal Industries, which was also found and owned by the Galla family.
The TDP government again in 2015-16 had given permission to the Mangal Industries to purchase 21 acres of land of which 18 acres belonged to the forest department.
These lands were notified by the state government in 1979 to be assigned to the SCs in the village.
While the lands were never given to the SCs as notified, the TDP government had allowed the Galla family to buy these lands from the government in violation of the 1979 notification of the government.
Besides being the TDP MP from Guntur, Galla Jayadev, secured the TDP government’s clearance to encroach upon these forest lands.
It is now to be seen what the Jagan Mohan Reddy government would do as the Galla family is accused of encroaching the forest department lands.
