Govt hands prime Vizag plot to varsity, spurs row

OPposition leaders on sat raised concerns o'er the say authorities’s displace to regularise 54.79 acres of precious land at two Visakhapatnam villages in favour of a private university allegedly encroaching upon it.The decision came to light on Wednesday after sections of local media revealed the agenda of a Greater Visakhapatnam Muncipal Corporation (GVMC) council meeting scheduled for January 30. HT has seen a copy of the agenda.The council agenda mentions the passage of a resolution on proposals made by the Visakhapatnam (rural) tehsildar to regularise and alienate 54.79 acres of land in Rushikonda and Yendada villages in favour of Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management (GITAM), which is chaired by the ruling Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP) MP Mathukumilli Sri Bharat.Speaking to reporters, senior YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Gudivada Amarnath on Saturday raised concerns over the move.“The land, which is worth nearly ₹5,000 crore, is currently being encroached upon by the university. How can the state government hand over such prime land to a private university?” he asked, adding that the move merited a clear explanation.“Our party shall fight on behalf of the people to protect public assets,” he said.Former Union energy secretary and noted social activist EAS Sarma strongly objected to the move, which he said was “illegal and unconstitutional.”In a letter addressed to state special chief secretary (revenue) G Saiprasad and chief commissioner of land administration G Jayalakshmi, Sarma demanded that the proposal be withdrawn immediately and called for stringent action against the officials and political leaders responsible.Despite the alleged encroachment being widely known in the district, the authorities failed to question the institution or reclaim the land, he said, adding that government land cannot be allotted to private institutions under existing rules. “Even the Supreme Court, in a judgement in 2011, directed all states not to allocate government land within local body limits to private entities. Any violation of such directions would amount to contempt of court,” he said.CPI (M) district secretary in Visakhapatnam, M Jaggu Naidu, alleged that the resolution was included in the agenda to benefit the Visakhapatnam MP. He added that land in the Rushikonda–Endada area was valued at approximately ₹22 crore per acre, according to government valuation guidelines.He accused the coalition government of betraying electoral promises to protect public land and demanded chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s intervention into the matter, as well as the immediate removal of the item from the GVMC council agenda.GVMC mayor and TDP leader Peela Srinivasa Rao and GITAM representatives did not respond to HT’s requests for comment.