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Land row: YSR kin blames TDP leader

Special Correspondent

Ravindranath Reddy to look for new site for proposed fertilizer factory at Denduluru

CLEARING THE AIR: Congress MLA Maganti Babu shows the land being acquired by the Chief Minister's brother-in-law for a fertilizer project, in Hyderabad on Friday. — PHOTO: P. V. SIVAKUMAR

HYDERABAD: Kadapa Mayor and Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy's brother-in-law P. Ravindranath Reddy has announced that he will scout for a new location for his proposed fertilizer factory at Denduluru in West Godavari district, following a controversy over forcible acquisition of land for it.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Mr. Reddy said while the company had agreed to pay prices higher than the market rates for the land, a local Telugu Desam leader Dhanunjay Rao allegedly provoked farmers and indulged in "mud-slinging". Refuting the charge that market price of the land in the vicinity was around Rs. 15 lakhs an acre, he said he would give up the land for Rs. 6.5 lakhs an acre against Rs. 6.2 lakhs an acre he had agreed to pay.

Launching a blistering attack on a vernacular daily and the TDP for creating the controversy, he said TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu had acquired lands, including assigned lands, at several places for setting up his Heritage Food factory at throwaway prices.

He said the proposed facility, with an investment of Rs. 150 crores, was part of expansion of the existing unit at Kadapa that would provide employment to about 700 locals. Though the company had initially proposed to set up the unit at Kalaparru village near Hanuman Junction, it was found unfeasible owing to its distance from the railway line. "I will reconsider the decision to move away from Denduluru if the farmers approach me," he said.

TD dharna

The controversy continued to cast a shadow on the Assembly proceedings with TDP members stalling them. When they persisted with the demand, the Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes. As they remained unrelenting after the House reassembled, 11 of them were suspended for the day. The suspended members staged a "dharna" near the Assembly entrance.

`Middlemen'

Meanwhile, Congress MLA from Denduluru M. Venkateswara Rao

(Maganti Babu) told reporters that the controversy was the offshoot of a desire by middlemen to earn commission from land transactions. He said farmers in his segment had approached him fearing less value for their holdings. He had assured them of a fair price.

On Thursday, Leader of Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu and 26 other TDP members were suspended for two days on the same issue. At Eluru, TDP legislators led by their Deputy Leader Y. Ramakrishnudu staged a dharna in front of the Collectorate after visiting the proposed factory site at Denduluru.

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