Allotment of land rocks Council meeting

Vijayawada,Oct 31: The issue of allotting corporation site at a prime locality in the city to a private party rocked the Council meeting  here on Saturday. While the opposition parties comprising Telugu Desam, CPI and CPM  came down heavily on the ruling Congress party alleging kickbacks in the  deal,  the latter chose to go offensive and defended their action.The  issue  revolved on  1566 square yards of site at Brindavan Colony abutting MG Road was leased to Yenayagar developers of Visakhapatnam on PPP (public private partnership) basis at a throwaway price of Rs 3 crore.As  per the present  market rate, a square yard in that area costs Rs one lakh or more. It may be recalled that the council in the past resolved unanimously against allotting  the site on PPP basis.

But the developer company could get GO directly from the Government with the alleged tacit support of a former minister and Minister for Animal Husbandry Parthasarathy.CPM floor leader remarked that it is a shame that the mayor, floor leader and local corporator were kept in the dark about the deal. He reminded that the Congress  two years ago passed a resolution against allotting the site on PPP basis.Even mayor Mallika Begum and Congress floor leader Kunuku Rajasekhar threatened to resign if the GO allotting the site was not withdrawn, he alleged adding that Begum in the past even wrote a letter to Secretary to the government asking how can the site worth Rs nine crore be given to Yenayagar company for Rs three crore.

Defending the allotment stoutly former deputy mayor Samanthapudi Narasaraju said that the opposition parties were unnecessarily making a hue and cry on this trivial issue. He said the corporation would not lose any revenue over the deal as it is common to give vacant corporation site on 50:50 basis. He asked the opposition parties to refer the agreement to the experts  for their opinion.  If the  experts  find any  shady deal in this  matter then  he  would quit  politics.The ruling party members' clarification failed to convince the opposition parties who staged a walkout demanding immediate halt to the ongoing work..