Tag: Amaravati

Probe into Amaravati land scam will resume, says AP Home Minister

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Amaravati: Hailing the Supreme Court’s decision to lift the stay imposed on the probe into the alleged land scam in Amaravati during the previous TDP regime, Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Taneti Vanitha has said the investigation will resume to scrutinise each and every facet of the case.
The apex court on Wednesday set aside an AP High Court order staying the SIT inquiry into the alleged irregularities in pooling thousands of acres of land for building the capital city.
“We will probe all the capital related issues in a transparent manner. No one can escape and truth will be the ultimate winner,” said Vanitha in a statement on Wednesday.

In September, 2019, the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government had through an order appointed a Cabinet Sub-Committee to look into the corruption allegations against the key members of the previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government.
Based on the report filed by the panel, the AP government issued a G.O constituting a 10-member Special Investigation Team to conduct a comprehensive probe, especially into the land deals in the capital region.
However, both the government orders were stayed by the High Court, following which the Jagan Mohan Reddy dispensation approached the top court.
The Supreme Court noted that the High Court should not have granted an interim stay when the matter was at a nascent stage.

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#Probe #Amaravati #land #scam #resume #Home #Minister
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 4, 2023
SC sets aside HC stay on SIT probe in Amaravati land case

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New Delhi: In a shot in the arm for the Jagan Mohan Reddy government, the Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside an Andhra Pradesh High Court order which had stayed an SIT probe into alleged irregularities in the land deals in Amaravati during the previous TDP regime.
Through a government order of September 26, 2019, the Reddy government had appointed a Cabinet Sub Committee to examine the allegations of corruption against members of the erstwhile government which recorded a prima facie finding about certain allegations.
On the basis of the report, the state government issued a second order and constituted the 10-member SIT, headed by a Deputy Inspector General of Police-rank IPS officer, to conduct a comprehensive investigation into various alleged irregularities, particularly the land deals in the Amaravati Capital Region, during the previous Chandrababu Naidu regime.

Both the notifications were stayed by the high court indefinitely which led the state to approach the top court for relief.
An apex court bench of justices MR Shah and MM Sundresh said the high court ought not to have granted an interim stay when it was not required as the entire matter was at a premature nascent stage.
The apex court said the high court has failed to consider the fact that the state government had already made a representation to the Centre to refer the investigation to the CBI.
“We are prima facie of the opinion that some of the reasoning given by the high court while staying the further proceedings pursuant to the two government orders may not be germane, more particularly, when the high court has observed that the new government cannot be permitted to overturn the decisions of the previous government.
The Andhra Pradesh government had challenged a high court order of September 2020 staying the government orders sanctioning the constitution of a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to probe into the allegations of land scam in Amaravati during the previous dispensation under the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

The apex court said central government is yet to take a call on the letter and the consent given by the Andhra Pradesh government and it would have been better, had the high court permitted the parties to complete the pleadings, and thereafter, decided the writ petitions one way or the other by affording ample opportunity to the parties before it.
“We are inclined to set aside the orders dated September 16, 2020, while making it clear that we have not expressed anything on the merits of the case. The high court is expected to decide and dispose of the writ petitions on merits and in accordance with law, without being influenced by any of the observations made in our order.
“Considering the issues governing the facts and law, the high court may make an endeavour to dispose of the writ petitions finally within a period of three months from the date of receipt of the copy of this judgment,” the bench said.
The top court said senior advocate appearing on behalf of the state is justified in submitting that the high court has misinterpreted and misconstrued the two government orders.
“If the aforesaid two GOs are considered, it can be seen that the same cannot be said to be overturning the earlier decisions taken by the previous government and/or to review the decisions taken by the previous government.
“The Sub-Committee and the SIT have been constituted to inquire into the allegations of acts of corruption and misfeasance of the previous government,” the bench said.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 3, 2023
Fire in Amaravati destroys construction material kept for capital works

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Amaravati: Construction material purchased for development of Andhra Pradesh state capital at Amaravati were gutted in a huge fire on Friday.
The incident occurred near Nekkallu village in Thullur mandal of Guntur district. The fire destroyed plastic pipes and other material dumped in open land for various works as part of development of the state capital.
As the material was dumped there for the last four years due to construction work coming to a halt, beehives were formed in the pipelines and other items. Some people had lit a fire to extract honey. Due to high temperature and wind, the fire spread and engulfed the material.

Huge flames and smoke were seen even from a long distance. Fire tenders rushed to the area to douse the flame. The incident is stated to have led to a huge loss.
The state capital development works at Amaravati came to halt in 2019 as YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) soon after coming to power decided to have three state capitals.
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#Fire #Amaravati #destroys #construction #material #capital #works

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 21, 2023
Amaravati will remain as ‘people’s capital’ of AP: TDP leader Nara Lokesh

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Anantapuramu: Amaravati will win the battle and remain as the “people’s capital” of Andhra Pradesh, opposition TDP leader Nara Lokesh has said as the agitation by farmers who donated lands to build the greenfield capital touched the milestone of 1,200 days.
Lokesh, who is the general secretary of TDP, made these remarks expressing confidence about Amaravati continuing as the state’s capital, during his padayatra called ‘Yuva Galam’ at CK Palli in Raptadu assembly constituency of Anantapuramu district.
“Your sacrifice will not go waste and Amaravati will certainly remain as the people’s capital,” Lokesh said as per a statement shared to media on Friday.
Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had recently announced that the state administration would be functioning from the port city of Visakhapatnam. The ruling YSRCP had also moved the Supreme Court over the trifurcation of state capitals following the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s verdict in March 2022 directing the state government to develop Amaravati as the state’s capital. The matter is currently pending in the apex court.
Incidentally, some senior citizens complained to Lokesh in CK Palli that their pensions were withdrawn owing to monthly power bills crossing a limit set by the incumbent government. Reacting to this complaint, Lokesh observed that six lakh people “lost” their pensions while another six lakh people are likely to suffer the same fate soon, but promised that the TDP will reinstate them on returning to power in the state.
Likewise, representatives from the Valmiki and Boya communities have appealed to the opposition leader to include them in the Backward Classes (BC) list as their lives were impoverished whereas Kuruba community members complained that Rs 2 lakh loan facility was withdrawn by the dispensation.
Meanwhile, Lokesh asserted that sand is illegally being transported to Bengaluru with the support of a ruling party MLA and claimed that apparel company Jockey exited the southern state resulting in job loss for nearly 6,000 people.

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#Amaravati #remain #peoples #capital #TDP #leader #Nara #Lokesh
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 1, 2023
SC refuses to stay AP HC’s order on Amaravati; setback for YS Jagan’s govt

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In a blow for the YSRCP-led state government in Andhra Pradesh, the Supreme Court has refused to grant the state’s motion to postpone a March last year high court ruling ordering the YSRCP government to construct Amaravati as the state’s capital within six months.
The court will consider the plea, along with other petitions related to the subject on July 11, Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagaratna said.
In the state assembly, chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy declared that he will relocate to Visakhapatnam and work from the coastal city beginning in July.
Justice Joseph will retire on June 16, and the case will be heard by a new bench in July.
After the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh’s bifurcation into Telangana and a new Andhra Pradesh (Seemandhra) in 2014, both were supposed to share Hyderabad as their capital for ten years.
But, then AP chief minister Chandrababu Naidu declared plans to establish a world-class greenfield capital in Amaravati and all the state bureaucracy was moved from Hyderabad to under plan Amaravati. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the seminal event.
Hundreds of acres of land were purchased, and large plans were put up for the construction of the new capital, despite the fact that funding proved to be a major obstacle.
Later, in May 2019, when YSRCP won the Assembly elections and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy became the chief minister, he alleged that the Naidu-led previous government committed a massive land purchase fraud, abandoned plans for a new capital in Amaravati, and abolished the AP Capital Area Development Authority (AP-CRDA).

Jagan announced decentralisation in new legislation, saying the state will have three capitals: a judicial capital in Kurnool, a legislative capital in Amaravati, and an executive capital in Vizag.
But this resulted in legal complications. In November, the government withdrew its decentralisation bill and cancelled the AP-CRDA.
In March 2022, the Andhra Pradesh High Court ruled in favour of Amaravati farmers, ordering that the capital be erected at Amaravati according to the master plan outlined in the Capital Area Development Authority Act within six months. The state government filed a petition with the Supreme Court.
This was in reaction to various applications filed by farmers challenging the repeal of the CRDA Act, which had been approved by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)’s administration in order to create a magnificent capital at Amaravati, for which they had provided the land.
A high court division bench led by Chief Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra issued its final decision on a slew of petitions contesting the Decentralisation Act and the repeal of the Andhra Pradesh CRDA Act.
The state administration then repealed the AP Decentralisation Act and the CRDA Repeal Act in November.
The case was resumed by the high court when several petitioners stated that there were additional unsolved concerns related to the CRDA legislation, such as the transfer of developer plots to land owners who had handed away their farm lands, development or basic infrastructure, and land mortgaging in banks.
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#refuses #stay #HCs #order #Amaravati #setback #Jagans #govt
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 28, 2023
Andhra government issues gazette notification for new zone in Amaravati

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Amaravati: In a controversial move, the Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday declared a new zone R-5 in Amravati.
The state government issued a gazette notification to create an R-5 zone to provide houses to poor people over 900 acres.
The move has angered the farmers who are already protesting the decision of the state government to develop three state capitals.
Amaravati farmers’ Joint Action Committee (JAC) said the decision was taken without consulting the farmers. They plan to challenge it in the High Court.
It was in October last year that the government had amended the Amaravati master plan in order to provide houses to poor people over 900 acres of land spread across in four villages.
The farmers had challenged the amendment in the court and on the direction of the court authorities had organised a meeting in the villages. The farmers had totally opposed the order.
However, ignoring the objection of farmers the government has now gone ahead by issuing the notification.
Earlier efforts by the government to allot lands proved futile as pro-Amaravati farmers had filed a petition and the High Court cancelled the order. Following this, the YSRC government had amended the APCRDA Act to provide house sites.

The new zone-R-5-in the capital region will be within the boundaries of Krishnayapalem, Nidamarru, Kuragallu in Mangalagiri mandal, and Manddam and Ainavolu villages in Thullur mandal.
Amaravati farmers feel that the new zone will change the status of the capital region and affect their interests.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 21, 2023
New facilities launched at Amaravati Buddhist site

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Amaravati: Various tourism facilities were inaugurated by Union Minister for Tourism and Culture G. Kishan Reddy at Dhyana Buddha Vanam in Amaravati on Tuesday.
Accompanied by Andhra Pradesh Tourism Minister R.K. Roja and top officials, Kishan Reddy inaugurated a tourist facilitation centre, meditation hall, open air theatre, restaurant, interpretation centre and landscaped garden.
These facilities have been developed under the theme ‘Buddhist Circuit’ of the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism of the Central government.
The project is aimed at leveraging and rejuvenating the Buddhist sites to attract more international tourists by enhancing the tourist experience and increasing employment opportunities in the region.
The Central minister also handed over a valuable antiquity (Railing Pillar) to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) museum.
Kishan Reddy said this was brought back from Britain by the ministry of culture in 2020 and may belong to the famous Buddhist site in Amravati.
The Central minister told reporters that the government is trying to bring back the antiquities taken out from the country since independence till 2014.
“We have already brought back 13 antiquities and efforts are on to retrieve 269 antiquities,” he said.

The minister revealed that Rs 141 crore has been given to Andhra Pradesh under Swadesh Darshan Scheme.
Kishan Reddy said Kakinada Wildlife Sanctuary, Budameru, Mypadu Beach, Buddhist Circuit, Amaravati region will be developed. Plans are also being made to develop Nagarjunakonda.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 14, 2023