Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

TDP opposes move on Knowledge City

VISAKHAPATNAM: The TDP has opposed the proposal to sell a huge extent of land for setting up of Knowledge City at Kapuluppada and wanted the needs of the poor to be fulfilled first. Former minister and TDP (Rural) president Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy and his Urban counterpart C.M.A.Zaheer Ahmed at a press conference here on Sunday demanded that the proceeds of the sale of land be spent in the region just as the Congress MLAs wanted money from land-sale in Rangareddy and Hyderabad be limited to development there.

Dr. Ahmed said the proposal to sell land at Rs.20 lakhs for knowledge city was motivated as the VUDA’s recent auction fetched a minimum of Rs.2.38 acres an acre. While the Rs.20 lakhs price would get a mere Rs.350 crores, auction, even if it fetched the minimum that was quoted at the VUDA sale, would result in realizing a whopping Rs.4,125 crores.

He alleged that the Government wanted to just gift the land to some favoured entrepreneur as the conditions were tailored towards that end. The Knowledge City was a misnomer as industries, hotels and golf course was supposed to come up there. He said the TDP’s padayatgra on the land issue covered 150 km and 10,000 representations had been received. He demanded that the poor be first provided land for housing before industries were allocated it.

Mr.Satyanarayana Murthy said instead of developing facilities for research and development and skill upgrading the land was sought to be used for luxury pastimes like golf, and real estate. Stating that the land proposed for the knowledge city was under cultivation of farmers, he said the TDP would mobilize people and launch an indefinite fast to protect their interests. He also challenged Commercial Taxes Minister Konathala Ramakrishna to prove whether the Congress Government brought any new industries to the district. He demanded action on the charges of assigned land allegedly in the benami possession of Congress MLAs, MPs and Congress leaders. He said that the functioning of MROs in the district was in disarray.

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