VIJAYAWADA: Announcing a breakthrough in resolving the decade-long AgriGold scam, Civil Supplies Minister and Cabinet Sub-Committee member Nadendla Manohar declared that the state government will officially launch the relief process for affected depositors by September 15.
Addressing the media at the Secretariat following a sub-committee meeting alongside Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha and Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad, Manohar outlined the roadmap for liquidating seized assets and establishing transparent distribution channels. He revealed that out of 20,450 acres of identified AgriGold properties in Andhra Pradesh (out of 23,430 acres nationwide), the government has finalised 6,330 acres for public auction.
Auction guidelines will be completed within this month, and a dedicated website and dashboard will be launched to provide real-time updates to the public.
Additionally, legal proceedings are underway to auction movable assets, including red sanders and teak plantations, under nine registered FIRs, with a dedicated nodal officer to be appointed in consultation with Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan.
To expedite legal processes, Manohar stated that dedicated court facilities will be made ready by August 15, with a request submitted to the High Court Chief Justice for immediate judicial and support staff allocation.
Addressing administrative hurdles, the sub-committee is setting up special CID cells to retrieve Rs 2,000 crore worth of uncollected bonds currently held by agents across various states.
The minister said 5.85 lakh AgriGold agents had collected Rs 6,380 crore exposing widespread diversion where deposits were collected for over 18.57 lakh plots despite only 5.76 lakh plots actually existing.