The CM said that the YSRCP, in the name of the construction of party offices in 23 districts, had resorted to several irregularities.
Published Jul 16, 2024 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 16, 2024 | 9:35 AM
N Chanadrababu Naidu taking oath as an MLA in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Friday, 21 June. (Screengrab)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, on Monday, 15 July made startling claims about the extent of land encroachment allegedly by the erstwhile YSRCP government.
The chief minister said that the land scams involved 1.75 lakh acres, whose value is estimated to be a whopping ₹35,576 crore. The loss on account of the alleged looting of sand and minerals wealth is at ₹19,000 crore, he said.
He said that the YSRCP did not spare any district in the state in usurping land under the patronage of the government. “We will bring in legislation to arrest people who are involved in land grabbing, on the lines of the one in force in Gujarat so no one would dare to encroach lands,” he added.
Releasing a white paper at the state secretariat in Velagapudi near Vijayawada on 15 July on the fraudulent exploitation of natural resources and encroachment of land under the YSRCP dispensation for the last five years, Chandrababu Naidu said that it was shocking to note the extreme lengths that the YSRCP leaders went, to loot the state of its resources like red-sanders in forests, sand and minerals besides valuable pockets of land.
The chief minister warned that those who had resorted to irregularities under the protection of the previous government would not be allowed to go scot-free as the TDP dispensation is keen on taking action per law.
He also said that, as there was no strict surveillance on the anti-social elements, heinous crime likes molestation of a toddler in Vijayanagara district and the gang rape of a girl in Nandyal took place. He asserted that his government would deal with such criminals with an iron fist.
The chief minister said that the YSRCP, in the name of the construction of party offices in 23 districts, had resorted to several irregularities. They had bigger plans up their sleeve as they were eying parcels of lands across the state with the help of Land Titling Act, which has since been abrogated he claimed.
Chandrababu Naidu further said that people who understood the actual designs of the YSRCP in bringing in the Land Titling Act had resisted it as their lands came under threat.
Chandrababu Naidu said that sand had become a source of stash for the YSRCP. Using arm twisting methods, the YSRCP leaders obtained mining and quarry leases through questionable methods and made huge amounts of money. They have brought private agencies for sand quarrying and used heavy machinery for excavation of sand, which is verboten, he charged.
To facilitate easy and faster transportation of sand, the YSRCP leaders had even laid roads on the river beds beds and on canal bunds. They registered cases against those who questioned their illegal practices. These acts took place mainly in Guntur, Krishna, East and West Godavari districts where sand in river beds is available aplenty, he further added.
He appealed to those who were victims of the YSRCP’s alleged exploitation of mines to come forward and lodge complaint with the government as the latter is very keen to arrest the trend that would have a debilitating effect on environment. The YSRCP leaders had encouraged indiscriminate felling of red sanders in forests. To facilitate this illegal activity, the government had reduced the staff monitoring the forests, he said.
Chandrababu Naidu said another glaring instance of exploitation of the natural resources was the excavation of Rishi Konda hills to build palaces, spending up to ₹500 crore. It was shocking that they had destroyed “erra matti dibbalu,” one of the attractions of Visakhapatnam, he said, asserting that the “anacondas” who had swallowed the forest would not be spared under any circumstances
The chief minister, citing illegal change of land use by the previous government, said that the land that was permitted for the construction of Rama Naidu studio has now been converted to use for housing in Visakhapatnam.
He said land scams took place in various parts of the state including ₹Rs.101 crore worth in Ongole, 270 crore in Tirupati, and ₹99 crore in Tirupati.
(Edited by Neena)
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