AP Council witnesses heated debate on lapses in Jagananna colonies

Replying to the questions from members Duvvarapu Rama Rao, B Tirumala Naidu and Bhumireddy Ramgopal Reddy, housing minister Kolusu Parthasarathy said the government had received complaints on lapses in land acquisition and execution of works in Jagananna Colonies.

He said that lands were acquired even in uninhabitable areas like cemeteries and along tanks and streams. The vigilance department would inquire into all such anomalies.

A detailed inquiry was also ordered on lapses in land acquisition and construction of houses in six districts including East Godavari, Kakinada, Krishna, Anakapalli, Prakasam and Konaseema, he said, and vowed to initiate stern action against the guilty.

The minister criticised the previous government for reducing the funds meant for construction of houses to `1 lakh in urban areas and `50,000 in rural areas. An additional sanction of `30,000 each, mainly for beneficiaries from SC, ST and BC communities, was adjusted in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, he said.

Referring to several contract agencies that had been given the responsibility of construction of houses and developing infrastructure in Jagananna Colonies, he said some of them had given up the construction of houses and left these incomplete despite availing funds from both the Centre and the state government. This was more among the beneficiaries that preferred option-3, where the government fixed an agency to construct their houses.

The minister said, once the government got the inquiry report, it would initiate action against such contract agencies. “We would use the relevant provisions of the Revenue Recovery Act against them,” he warned.

Referring to the inquiry carried out by the vigilance and enforcement and general administration departments in Nellore district, the minister said a report was submitted to the government on March 3. He disclosed the details of 174 agencies involved in construction of houses under option -3 and irregularities worth `63.92 crore.

Similarly, he said, 6,964 houses were constructed by the beneficiaries on their own and a corruption of `21.15 crore was found. Some 1,025 old houses were fraudulently shown as ‘new’ and some `15.07 crore was drawn under this guise.

The minister said that stern action would be initiated against those involved in such corrupt practices, including the errant officials. He promised to complete the construction of incomplete houses and said these would be handed over to the beneficiaries.