Jagan defends land allotments done by YSR Govt

 Maintaining that Y S Rajasekhar Reddy's regime made land allotments for employment generation purposes, Kadapa MP Jaganmohan Reddy has asked why the CBI did not look into the allotment of lands made during the previous TDP rule.

Reacting to the CBI chargesheet filed in the illegal assets case involving him, Jagan, while speaking at his 'Odarpu Yatra' here last night, defended the land allotments during his late father's regime.

"The lands were allotted to private companies in backward Mahaboobnagar and Medak districts to generate large scale employment," he said.

"Why the CBI cannot see the land allocation in the heart of Hyderabad made by TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu at throw away prices and also during the present Congress government," he asked.

Meanwhile, unfazed by the developments in the case involving him, Jagan is going ahead with campaign in Assembly segments where bypolls will be held.

He is scheduled to tour Narsapuram and Polavaram constituencies in West Godavari district from today. These two assembly seats are among the 17 constituencies where the by-elections are due.

The bypolls in 16 of the 17 seats are necessitated by the disqualification of Congress MLAs who switched loyalty to Jagan and voted against the Congress government in a floor test held in December last year, while another MLA quit in support of Kadapa MP.

CAG exposes multi-crore land scam in Andhra Pradesh

The "benevolence" of the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh in allocation of land (irregularly) for different purposes has caused enormous monetary loss running into several thousand crores of rupees between 2006 and 2011, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has said.

Alienation/allotment of land by the AP government during 2006-11 was characterised by grave irregularities, involving allotment in an ad-hoc, arbitrary and discretionary manner to private persons and entities at very low rates, without safeguarding the financial and socio-economic interests of the state, the CAG said in its audit report for 2010-11 which was tabled in the Assembly on Thursday.

Most of these allotments were made during the tenure of the late Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy (who was in power between 2004 and 2009).

In a large number of cases of land allotment, the state government ignored the prescribed procedures and disregarded "canons of financial propriety", the CAG noted.

Audit scrutiny revealed that undue benefit of Rs 1,784 crore was given to various entities and persons, due to the difference in the rates at which land was allotted and the market value as recommended by the District Collector concerned or the Empowered Committee (headed by the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration).

"During 2006-11, the state government alienated/ allotted 88,492 acres of land to 1,027 beneficiaries. In the 11 sampled districts, 459 allotments were made, involving 50,285.90 acres of land. Of these, 409 cases were scrutinised in audit.

"Audit found that land allotments for commercial purposes were not made in a fair, consistent and transparent manner so as to serve the public interest," the CAG observed.

The Government was yet to realise the cost of land alienation in 60 cases in 11 districts, resulting in dues amounting to Rs 2,559 crore, the auditor said.

This was the first time that the CAG has come out with a comprehensive audit report on land allotments in AP even as the doles of the YSR Government remained a subject of major scandal and controversy in the last few years.

Among the major findings of the CAG were the irregular allotment of thousands of acres of land to former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhana Reddy's business ventures, the proposed Lepakshi Knowledge Hub in Anantapur district and the Vanpic port project, all of which incidentally are being probed by CBI as part of inquiry into the amassing of illegal wealth by YSR's son and Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy.

The CAG, in a way, endorsed the allegations levelled by all Opposition parties in the state over the allotment of land in total violation of rules.

"An extent of 3,115.64 acres of land in Jammalamadugu mandal in Kadapa district was allotted to Brahmani Industries Ltd (of Gali Janardhana Reddy) for setting up a commercial airport and flying academy, in violation of Government of India's policy on setting up of commercial airports, and without verifying the suitability of the site and viability of the project. It overlooked the fact that the Kadapa airport was just 50 km away," the CAG report pointed out.

Although the land required for the proposed airport was only around 2,500 acres (as observed by Principal Secretary-Industries and Infrastructure Department), the extent of land alienated was 3,115.64 acres. Thus, an excess allotment of 615.64 acres was made in this case, it said.

The decision to alienate land to Brahmani Industries (BIL) was taken by the Council of Ministers (headed by YSR) even though all the facts were brought to its notice by CCLA, who had also cautioned the Government against the viability of setting up a second airport in the same area, it said.

Alienation of government land to BIL was thus injudicious and in violation of all the established rules and good practices. It clearly amounted to an undue favour to the company without any justification, the CAG observed.

Not stopping at that, another 10,760.66 acres of land in the same mandal was allotted to Brahmani Industries for a green-field Integrated Steel Plant. This involved illegal alienation of 674.58 acres of water bodies and allocation of 2 tmc feet of water from the Gandikota Reservoir without environmental clearance or independent examination of the project report. As of November 2011, even the first phase of construction had not been completed, the CAG noted.

Favours under the YSR Government were also allegedly extended to Gali Janardhana Reddy's Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), which has figured in illegal mining activities.

The request of OMC, which had unauthorisedly occupied Government lands, for grant of lease of 413.81 acres was turned down by Anantapur District Collector in August 2008.

However, within a month thereafter, this position was reversed by the Collector who, at the request of state-run APIIC, recommended alienation of 304.66 acres of land (for transfer to OMC) for establishment of an industrial park. The reasons for reconsidering the lease or alienating the land were not recorded, the CAG observed.

The State Government lost revenue of Rs 874.03 crore by alienating 881.32 acres in Mamidipally Village, Ranga Reddy District to APIIC at a meagre cost. APIIC, in turn allotted 500 acres of this land at very low rates to Indu Tech Zone and Brahmani Infra Tech even before orders of alienation were issued, the CAG said in another observation.

The state government has been a "mute spectator" to encroachment of its lands. Instead of instituting a mechanism for preventing and detecting illegal encroachments and dealing with them swiftly and effectively, in a sense, it has fuelled encroachments by regularising 14,878 of such unauthorised encroachments involving 21 lakh sq yards of land, collecting a meagre revenue of Rs 63.71 crore, the CAG maintained.

"The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has been pointing out, in his Audit Reports, year after year, several irregularities relating to allotment of land by the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

The state government, however, is yet to take corrective measures in this regard and come up with a comprehensive policy relating to alienation/allotment of land.

The Government had also not formulated any land use policy defining its sector-wise priorities in utilisation/allotment of land for the present and future needs for socio-economic development of the state," the CAG report observed.

Shutdown by Dalit groups in Andhra Pradesh

A day-long shutdown began in Andhra Pradesh Monday on a call given by Dalit groups to protest the recent desecration of statues of B.R. Ambedkar.

Schools, colleges, shops and business establishments remained closed in many districts while protestors blocked roads to stop buses of state-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC).

Student organistaions, especially Osmania University student Joint Action Committee has also called for a shutdown to protest the desecration of statues in Amlapuram and other parts of East Godavari district.

Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), left parties, and people's organizations have extended their support for the bandh.

Police in Hyderabad are on high alert after three vehicles were burnt by protestors Sunday night.

A private bus was set afire at Chilkalguda in Secunderabad early Monday. Earlier, a bus of APSRTC was torched in Ramanthapur while a private van was destroyed in Tarnaka.

Police have sealed all the routes around Osmania University in Hyderabad to prevent students from taking out a rally.

Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) and students groups have planned protests in Hyderabad.

Three people were arrested for damaging the Ambedkar statues.

According to the police, the accused resorted to the act in an inebriated condition and ruled out conspiracy by any political or caste group.

South shivers: broken century-old temperature records in Karnataka

The unprecedented cold wave sweeping across southern India has claimed seven lives so far in Andhra Pradesh and broken century-old temperature records at several places in neighbouring Karnataka.

Chilly winds blew across coastal and north Telangana districts, claiming the lives of four elderly persons at Gudipudi village near Sattenapalle in Guntur district on Monday. Two women each died in Bapatla and Visakhapatnam.

In interior Karnataka, the harsh weather has broken records. Madikeri registered its lowest temperature in 132 years on Monday, with the minimum dropping to 4.8 degrees Celsius.

At 7.7 degrees Celsius, Mysore recorded its coldest day in 120 years and Bangalore saw its coldest day of January in 19 years with minimum temperature touching 12 degrees Celsius. In the plains, Belgaum was the coldest at 7.2 degrees

B Puttanna, director, in-charge, Bangalore Met department blamed the cold wave in north India for temperatures dropping as much as 7-9 degrees, as compared to last week, in some places in Karnataka.

"The severe cold wave from the north and north-east combined with clear skies, has brought down minimum temperatures across the state," he said.

The weather department has forecast slightly warmer days ahead for Mysore and Bangalore.

In Andhra Pradesh, Adilabad shivered as mercury fell to 4 degrees Celsius. On Saturday, it had plummeted to 3.7 degrees, the lowest in 10 years in the region. Last week, the minimum temperature was as high as 15 degrees celsius.

Meanwhile, weather officials said the cold wave conditions in Andhra Pradesh would continue for the next 24 hours.

They attributed the phenomenon to easterly waves sweeping across central India. While Ramagundam and Medak recorded 7 degrees on Monday, Hyderabad was unusually cold at 10 degrees.

Children and the aged were worst hit while the cold winds were also causing serious problems among people suffering from asthma.

Kadapa MP Jagan’s hunger fast stokes Telangana fire

Kadapa MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is set to hold a 48-hour long fast at Armoor in Nizamabad district over farmers' problems on Today.

However, the Kadapa MP, who is currently under scanner in connection with disproportionate assets case, is also likely to face the opposition ire for his anti-Telangana stance.

TRS led by KC Rao, the Telangana political Joint Action Committee (JAC) and Congress leaders from the region yesterday voiced stiff opposition to Jagan Reddy's proposed fast.

"Jagan has an anti-Telangana attitude. He never spoke in support of Telangana. He has tried to evade a clear stance on the separate statehood demand (by saying that the decision on it has to be taken by Centre). All Congress activists in Telangana should oppose his visit," Congress Lok Sabha member from Karimnagar Ponnam Prabhakar told reporters.

The JAC alleged that Jagan's visit to Nizamabad district in Telangana region is only a manifestation of the "domination of coastal Andhra" over Telangana.

"We seek a clear stand on Telangana. No one should come here without a clear stance on the separate statehood issue. No political yatra should be undertaken in Telangana (without endorsing separate statehood demand)," JAC convener M Kodandaram said.

Maintaining that Jagan has proved himself to be against Telangana, TRS MLA and party president K Chandrasekhar Rao's son KT Rama Rao said the YSR Congress leader is bound to face opposition.

Asserting that it respected the sentiments of Telangana people, the YSR Congress, however, says that it is for the Centre to take a decision on the issue.

The TRS and JAC have earlier opposed the visits of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu to Warangal district in Telangana because of his allegedly ambivalent stance on the statehood issue.

In a statement released later, Jagan said his fast should not be politicised as it intends to highlight farmers' problems.

He reminded his party's decision of not fielding candidates in the assembly segments where by-polls are necessitated due to the resignation of sitting MLAs in support of the separate statehood demand.

Jagan demanded that the support price and input subsidy for agriculture be enhanced.