In a peculiar development, Peela Govinda Satyanarayana, from whom Andhra Pradesh revenue department recovered 60 acres of encroached government land recently, is shying away from claiming ownership. "Peela Govinda Satyanarayana’s people are not coming forward that this land belongs to them," a revenue official from the city told IANS. Satyanarayana was a former Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA.

Revenue officials had taken possession of the agricultural land located in Bheemannadorapalem of Anandapuram mandal, whose pattas were reportedly meant to be assigned to beneficiaries from Backward Classes. While reports surfaced suggesting that the seized land belonged to former Anakapalle MLA from TDP, Peela Govinda Satyanarayana, party leaders have denied these reports, claiming that the seized land in Anandapuram is not connected to the former MLA. 

"Some other people are coming. So they are confusing us saying this land is ours, this land is ours. They are claiming," he said about the unique problem the department was facing.

After recovering the land parcel, estimated to be nearly Rs 1 crore an acre, the revenue department has carried out a field survey on Monday. On Sunday, the department recovered the land from survey number 156 in Bhimannadorapalem limits of Anandapuram mandal.

Similarly, officials have also demolished a few sheds in encroached government land of Municipal Administration Minister Botcha Satyanarayana's relatives.

Incidentally, the minister directed officials not to spare even his relatives and recover the encroached land.

Visakhapatnam, popularly known as Vizag, has become a flashpoint for recovering encroached government lands over the past few months.

Earlier, encroached land was recovered from private Gitam university and a resort as well.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has vowed to make the city as the executive capital of the southern state as part of his three-capital plan to diversify development all over the state rather than concentrating in Amaravati alone.