HYDERABAD: The State government’s statement issued in response to allegations of corrruption and nepotism in the auction of Kokapet lands, apart from dismissing the claims, also highlighted why the auctioned lands were suited for further development.The government’s statement stated that the lands in Kokapet and Khanamet were ideally suited to address future workspace and residential requirements. Thus, these two sites were ideal from the growth and prospects point of view and were considered for auction. In fact, auctions were already done at these sites previously and the recently concluded auctions were a part of this ongoing process, read the statement.
The auction, on July 15 and 16 for eight plots, was conducted by MSTC Ltd through e-auction based on online bid method. The statement also backed MSTC, saying, “MSTC Ltd is a Central government PSU and is one of the specialised and reputed organisations in online bidding. The alleged scope of manipulation, if any, doesn’t arise.”
The statement then outlined the efforts made by the auctioning agencies — HMDA and TSIIC — to reach out to the maximum number of potential clients. “A series of paper ad campaigns at the national media level was carried out for a month, wherein the bid notification details were placed in national media every alternate day. A record number of 80 interested firms participated in the pre-bid meeting, making it one of the most successful pre-bid meetings,” the statement said.