Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, June 28
Andhra Pradesh Government has served demolition notice to Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu over his luxury villa.
The notice to Naidu, who lost the state in an election that saw his rival YSR Congress party leader Jagan Mohan Reddy sweep into chief ministership, came days after bull dozers lined up outside “Praja Vedika”—the public hall located a few meters from his house—to tear it down after it was declared illegal.
Naidu had rented his luxury villa from Lingamaneni Estates when he was still chief minister. TDP claims they have
submitted documents for the house to prove it was not illegal.
Both the house and “Praja Vedika” form part of several constructions along the river Krishna at Amravati—Andhra Pradesh’s new capital city after it lost Hyderabad to Telangana—which the government says violate rules.
The latest notice was pasted next to the security guards’ room at the luxury villa because government officials claimed Naidu’s security guards did not allow them into the house.
The demolition drive has resulted in a full blown political war between the ruling YSR Congress and rival TDP.
TDP calls the demolition drive political vendetta—a claim Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s government denies by saying that similar notices from the Andhra Pradesh Capital Development Authority (APCRDA) were issued to other “illegal” buildings on the river bank that violated environmental, ecological rules and building bylaws.
According to the notice given under Section 115 (1) of the APCRDA Act, the building’s owner has been asked to remove all illegal structures on the ground and first floor within the week. Naidu’s house has a swimming pool and a helipad. Naidu had the public hall “Praja Vedika” built after Amravati was declared the new capital. Naidu cited lack of infrastructure in Amravati to have the hall built.