AP Council Sees Debate on ‘Financial Destruction'

Vijayawada:The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council witnessed a heated debate mainly between the Telugu Desam and YSR Congress members on the state’s alleged ‘financial destruction’ during the YSR Congress rule.

During the discussions, TD chief whip Panchumarthi Anuradha targeted the YSRC, saying the Jagan-led government caused huge debts for the state, forcing the present government to clear those one by one. The YSRC government violated the norms of fiscal responsibility and budget management norms, demolished the Praja Vedika built with people’s tax money, made no progress in the Polavaram project and equated Amaravati with cemetery, she said.

“By harping on the three capitals plan, it ignored development of Amaravati and even closed down the Anna Canteens,” she added.

Leader of Opposition Botsa Satyanarayana challenged her arguments and said the YSRC government proposed three capitals with Amaravati as the seat of AP legislature. He justified the demolition of Praja Vedika, saying it was an illegal structure. He also justified his terming Amaravati as a cemetery, by saying it must be read in a specific contest.

Botsa said the TD failed to develop Amaravati. When its leaders wanted to visit Amaravati without initiating any developmental works, he compared it to a cemetery, he said.

Anuradha claimed that cabinet meetings were held in Amaravati, and questioned Botsa Satyanarayana as to how he could call it a cemetery.

Botsa raised the issue of whether the buildings in Amaravati were temporary, referring to the earlier statement of the government that they were ‘temporary’ in nature and that the capital city was built by spending `10,500 per square foot and the government proposed to spend `1.19 lakh crore to develop it.

Agriculture minister K Atchannaidu said, “We never said Amaravati buildings were temporary. They are just a transit facility.”

He blamed the YSRC for its government’s failure to develop permanent structures where foundations were laid for the Secretariat and high courts. “We were draining out water from the submerged foundations in the last eight months. We are still doing so.”

The minister criticised the YSRC government’s construction of a building on Rushikonda by spending `26,000 per square foot, and asked the leader of Opposition, “For what sake was such a palatial building constructed?

Botsa countered it by saying that if as much money was spent per sq-ft, there might be some lapses in it. He questioned why the TDP government cleared the pending bills of `80 crore to the contract agency which built the building at Rushi Konda.

The minister claimed that they paid the money for the “other works” done by the same agency, and stressed that the TD-led government was not practising a politics of vengeance.

Botsa demanded that the state government order an inquiry into the irregularities in the building construction on Rushi Konda and questioned it as to why it was hesitating to do so.

Botsa told the media later that the YSRC’s commitment was on developing three capitals in AP then. In the changed scenario now, “we would discuss further on the issue in the party and would come up with our stand on it.”