The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Corporators oppose KMC move to give prime land to a doctor

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Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Corporators oppose KMC move to give prime land to a doctor

Staff Reporter

General body witnesses heated debate on the issue

The doctor is said to have parted with residential plot for laying road in 1984
Land abutting Boat Club is sought to be given to him as compensation

Kakinada: Heated arguments ensued between members of the Congress and the TDP during the general body meeting of the Kakinada Municipal Corporation (KMC) here on Tuesday over the proposal to give away a piece of land abutting the Boat Club in lieu of a portion of a residential plot claimed to be forgone by one Sivaji Raju for laying a public road in 1984.

A majority of the corporators rejected the proposal, saying that the land was required for public purpose and said the KMC need not be bound by Kakinada MLA Mutha Gopalakrishna’s recommendation to give the disputed land to Dr. Raju as compensation for the loss incurred by him.

Mayor’s order

The MLA’s followers among Congress corporators made a futile attempt to get the proposal cleared but their rivals within the ruling party and the TDP members put up strong resistance and they finally succeeded in securing an order by Mayor K. Saroja to give land at some other place in the city limits to Dr. Raju but not the one asked by him. Corporators, who favoured retention of the land near the Boat Club by the KMC, alleged that the MLA was bent on protecting Dr. Raju’s interests and that’s the reason why he made the recommended in the latter’s favour. They said that the matter should have been settled long back but giving away a highly valuable (approximately Rs. 15,000 per square yard) land in the midst of the city was not the solution.

Some corporators opined that it was not proper for the KMC to lay a road through a private land. Even if there was a consensus among the parties (the KMC and the land owner), a monetary compensation would not have brought things thus far.

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