Pawan Kalyan’s Land Encroachment Allegations Against Peddireddy Family
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Forests, K. Pawan Kalyan, has triggered a massive political debate in Andhra Pradesh by conducting an aerial survey and publicly accusing a senior opposition family of illegal forest land encroachment.The allegations are leveled against the family of former minister and YSRCP leader, Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, leading to immediate and decisive action by the Forest Department.
The controversy centers on the protected Mangalampeta Reserve Forest in the Chittoor district. Mr. Kalyan’s aerial inspection on Thursday reportedly exposed large-scale, illegal occupation within this crucial ecological zone, a part of the Eastern Ghats. The government claims that over 76 acres of protected forest land have been illegally fenced off and utilized as a private estate.
Following the survey, the Deputy Chief Minister briefed Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and the Cabinet, who ordered a comprehensive and swift probe. The state’s commitment to protecting its natural wealth has been made clear, with an official declaration that forest lands are “national assets” and that violations, regardless of the individual’s political position, will be met with the full force of the law.
The Forest Department has since confirmed the existence of major violations, noting that while 75.74 acres were part of an older, valid private land record from a 1968 Gazette, an additional 32.63 acres of designated Reserve Forest land were illegally merged, fenced, and used for horticulture. This encroachment led to an estimated damage to forest wealth valued at over ₹1.26 crore.
The department has officially reclaimed the illegally occupied 32.63 acres. A Preliminary Offence Report (POR) has been formally registered under the Andhra Pradesh Forest Act, 1967, and sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The report names prominent members of the Peddireddy family, including Rajampet MP Mithun Reddy, as accused.
In a move aimed at ensuring complete transparency, Mr. Kalyan has directed forest officials to publish the names of all forest land encroachers on the department’s official website. He has also instructed them to disclose the extent of the land illegally occupied and the current legal status of the cases against each individual.He stressed the need to investigate discrepancies in land records, including inflated entries and false claims of ‘ancestral land’ within protected zones.
The opposition YSRCP has fiercely countered these claims.16 Rajampet MP Mithun Reddy has dismissed the allegations as entirely baseless and politically motivated. He stated that the lands were legitimately acquired through a valid Patta issued in the year 2000 and has challenged the Deputy Chief Minister to prove his allegations with concrete evidence. The YSRCP maintains that the ruling coalition, despite being in power for over a year, is attempting to repackage old, unsubstantiated charges with a “cinematic twist” to distract from their own issues.
This escalating confrontation has transformed the land issue into a major political flashpoint, with the government determined to pursue legal action and the opposition mounting a strong defence based on historical land documents and legal processes. The coming days are expected to see a significant political and legal battle over the fate of the protected Mangalampeta forests.
