VIJAYAWADA: The demolition of Praja Vedika, an annexure to former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's residence on the banks of river Krishna, near Undavalli is underway. Hundreds of workers with the help of heavy machinery are razing the structure after the newly formed YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government in the Andhra Pradesh state ordered for the demolition of Praja Vedika terming it `illegal structure' constructed by the previous TDP government.
The demolition works, which started on Tuesday night hours after the two-day Collectors' Conference chaired by Jagan Mohan Reddy concluded, are going on even as a steady rainfall is witnessed in Undavalli and nearby areas. Security forces have taken control of the entire Karakatta anticipating trouble. The structure is likely to be demolished completely by evening, officials said.
Meanwhile, the AP High Court refused to give any interim stay orders on the demolition of the Praja Vedika late last night. An advocate, Srinivasa Rao, moved a House Motion Petition in the High Court seeking a stay on the demolition of the building constructed with public money. After hearing the arguments of Advocate General Sriram Subramanyam who put before the various violations in the construction of Praja Vedika before the court, the two-member bench refused to pass any stay orders.
It may be recalled that the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government-ordered demolition of the facility terming it an illegal construction as it does not have any permissions.
The Opposition TDP, however, raised objections at the haste with which the government went ahead with the demolition wasting public money. The previous government spent Rs 8.9 crore of the construction of Praja Vedika.
TDP president and former CM N Chandrababu Naidu, who reached Amaravati late last night from a vacation, met with his party leaders at his Undavalli residence, just a stone's throw away from the Praja Vedika which was being razed, and took stock of the political situation in the state including the Jagan government's decision to bring down the Praja Vedika.
TDP leaders alleged that Jagan government is resorting to vindictive politics by demolishing the building just because the party had requested the government to hand over the building to the TDP to use as Naidu's camp office under the capacity of Leader of Opposition.