TDP veteran and former minister Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu on Thursday appealed to the people and leaders of northern Andhra to oppose the sale of government land on Beach Road in the city.
In a video message on Thursday, Mr. Ayyanna Patrudu expressed concern about the “nonchalant reaction” of the population and ruling party leaders in the region to the government’s bidding by the YSR Congress to auction priceless government land.
“This would hinder future development activities and kill future generations of development,” he said.
The former minister claimed that while the town of Vizag was up for sale, there seemed to be little public outcry about the situation. He claimed that a ruling party leader had captured a large chunk of private land, Simhachalam (Mansa’s) land and Prema Samajam land.
He also claimed that the government supported the proposed sale of land at the Visakhapatnam Steel Mill (VSP).
The land, to be sold in 18 different locations along Beach Road and stretching over 17 acres, would raise about £ 1,500 to the Treasury. The land was sold to fill the state’s empty coffers as the prime minister could not find other means to fund his welfare programs, he said.
Ayyanna Patrudu said that neither the people of the region nor the ministers and MLAs from the region were interested in bringing the issues to the attention of the prime minister. Similarly, privatizing VSP would harm the interests of the Lakhs of the people of northern Andhra. He complained that people in the region voted for the YSR Congress Party in local polls, even though they knew the role of the ruling party behind the VSP’s privatization move.