CM picks faults in babu’s PPT

Vijayawada: The Collectors’ Conference held here on Monday came as a wakeup call for the officials that they just cannot make some presentation and get away with it.

When Secretary Roads and Buildings Kantilal Dande made a power point presentation on the situation of roads particularly the state highways, Naidu expressed his displeasure over the PPT.

He said the state has 12,000 km of state highways while the PPT refers to only1000 km of state highways. He said the officer had skipped many issues in his presentation. The CM said giving a presentation on 1000 km makes no sense.

Referring to the issue of allotting sites to poor people in the R5 Zone, the Chief Minister said this zone according to the original master plan was part of a non-polluting industry zone, town centre zone, educational zone, business park zone etc. Those who gave their lands under land pooling were promised developed plots in an urbanised capital city. But the YSRCP government converted 900 acres of land and allotted it to people from outside districts. This was challenged in high court. The high court has stayed this order of the government.

He said that the government would provide land to the poor in their own district if need be by acquiring land or would allot houses under TIDCO. He asked the officers of MAUD to work out the action plan on top priority basis and complete the work in the shortest possible time.

Naidu was also not so happy with the Forest department. He said the highest number of pending files were in this department. The officials were not clearing them and were displaying “attitude.” Even files pertaining to public works like construction of roads were kept pending. “You were silent when forests were degraded and destroyed in the last five years,” he said. They need to change their attitude, he warned them. Naidu also announced that the government will order a probe into the sand scam.