TDP is bent on false campaigning: Botcha

Visakhapatnam: Former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu benefitted from the Madhurawada NCC Company for allotting lands, alleged Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development Botcha Satyanarayana.

Speaking to the media in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, he made it clear that the YSRCP government was acting transparently and condemned the TDP's agitation over Madhurawada lands.

The minister briefed the media on the facts of the land issue, he said the government called tenders for the land and gave it to NCC company in 2005. The company paid Rs 93 crore to the government in 2007.

As per the decision made by the Cabinet, the land would be developed and 16 per cent would be given to the government, the minister said.

The Municipal Administration Minister said two months before the 2019 general elections, Naidu's government had an agreement with the NCC company. Earlier, the company paid Rs 93 crore as per the agreement made with the government for 97 acre land.

Later, the company went to the High Court over the issue for various reasons and the court had given the status quo, he added.

The company had requested Naidu to give a GPA to avoid excess stamp duty instead of registering the land. "'We thoroughly examined the land issue and even sent it to the Advocate General for legal advice and our government has given an order to that company in December 2020," Satyanarayana said.

According to the Business Rules, the Chief Minister could not change the decision taken by the Cabinet but, Naidu gave GPA to the company against the Cabinet decision for his own benefit, the minister alleged.

The minister expressed anger over the TDP's attitude and suggested that they should be aware of the facts before staging a protest.

The company paid a total of Rs 187 crore till now, the minister mentioned.