SIT constituted for probe into ''irregularities'' in Amaravati

capital region during TDP regime Amaravati, Feb 21 (PTI): The Andhra Pradesh government on

Friday constituted a 10-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by a Deputy Inspector General of Police-rank IPS

officer, to conduct a comprehensive probe into alleged irregularities, particularly land deals in the Amaravati

capital region, during the previous Telugu Desam Party regime. The report of a Cabinet Sub-Committee on the "procedural,

legal and financial irregularities and fraudulent transactions concerned with various projects, including issues related to

land in the CRDA region" will form the basis for the SIT probe, according to an order issued by General Administration

Department Principal Secretary (Political), Praveen Prakash. The SIT will enquire, register, investigate and conclude

the investigation according to the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code on the subject matter, the order said.

The SIT, which has two other IPS officers and other police officials, will also function as a nodal single point

contact, including for sharing of information and coordinate with the state and Central investigating agencies,if required.

The Cabinet Sub-Committee was constituted by the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government in June 2019 to "review major

policies, projects, programmes, institutions established (Corporations, Societies, Companies,etc) and key

administrative actions since bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh on June 02, 2014" impacting the states development.

The Sub-Committee presented the first part of its report to the government in December last, highlighting the various

procedural, legal and financial "irregularities and fraudulent transactions" concerned with various projects, including the

issues related to land in the CRDA region. The report was tabled and discussed in the state Assembly

after the Cabinet accepted it. Subsequently, the government decided to get the issue

inquired by a specialised agency and thus constituted the SIT. Intelligence DIG Kolli Raghuram Reddy will head the SIT,

which also has SP-rank IPS officers Babujee Attada and V Appala Naidu.

The SIT will later be notified as a 'police station' as per provisions of the CrPC.

Among other things, the SIT will investigate "insider trading" of land committed by several individuals having prior

knowledge of location of the new capital and alleged manipulation of boundaries of the capital under Land Pooling

Scheme for monetary gains through appreciation of land value. No time frame has been set for the SIT to complete the

investigation and file a charge-sheet.