VIJAYAWADA: In the latest development in the investigation of the alleged Amaravati land scam, the State government has issued orders authorising the Andhra Pradesh Central Bureau of Investigation (APCID), the agency probing the case, to attach TDP supremo and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s guest house on Karakatta Road in Undavalli village, Tadepalli mandal as well as 22 immovable properties belonging to former minister P Narayana.
The State government issued two orders, GO No. 89 and 90, to this effect on May 12. As per GO 89, the State government has taken action under Section 3 and 10 (a) (b) of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 1944 for the attachment of immovable properties, preventing disposal or concealment of the ill-gotten wealth, and instructed APCID chief N Sanjay Kumar to take necessary action.
Through GO 90, the State government instructed the investigators to attach 22 immovable properties, allegedly belonging to former Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) minister P Narayana, as they were suspected to be purchased before the design of the capital was announced.
Based on APCID’s recommendations, the government issued the orders for the attachment of the properties and instructed the probe agency to file an application with the Special Court for SPE and ACB Cases in Vijayawada for the same. It may be recalled that the ACB (Anti-Corruption Bureau) and APCID had registered cases against Naidu, Narayana and others in connection with the alleged insider trading of lands in Amaravati's capital region. They had also seized various documents during inspections at their offices.
The action came after Mangalagiri MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy had lodged a complaint with the ACB and CID against Naidu, who was then the chairman of the AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA), and P Narayana, the then vice-chairman of APCRDA, alleging that they had indulged in insider trading of lands and gained benefits. A case under IPC Sections 120 (B), 409, 420, 34, 35, 36, 37, 166, 167 and 217, and Section 13 (2) read with Section 13(1)(c) and (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered and an investigation was launched.
According to the GO, the CID investigation revealed that Naidu (A1) and Narayana (A2) with the help of other officials abused their official position by changing the alignment of the Inner Ring Road (IRR) and gave information about the capital plan to benefit their benamis and avoid acquisition of lands belonging to businessman Lingamaneni Ramesh (A3), Heritage Foods and other companies.
“This has caused huge negative financial implications to the government exchequer. Using the prior privileged information on the boundaries of the capital city and location of IRR from Naidu and Narayana, the other accused in the case purchased lands at low prices before the announcement and some of them sold their lands at higher prices after the announcement of capital designs,” the GO read.
Sleuths of AP CID informed the government that Ramesh had given his house on Karakatta to Naidu as quid pro quo for the gains he accrued through prior information he received on the capital master plans and Inner Ring Road alignment. After the master plan and Inner Ring Road alignment were published, Ramesh and others were able to sell some part of their land at a price much higher than the value is 2015, the investigation agency told the government.
“Having dominion over the land entrusted to APCRDA, A1 and A2 continuously guided the officials during planning. While Naidu worked towards getting the Inner Ring Road alignment to suit the interest of Ramesh, Heritage Foods and others, formed minister Narayana got the alignment manipulated to benefit his educational institutions (Narayana Education Society). The Karakatta guest house forms a part of illegal gratification received by the accused and it has to be attached,” a senior CID official expressed. APCID has also pointed out that Narayana had purchased a total extent of 58.50 acres in the name of his family members and benamis.
According to GO 90, “Narayana had purchased the lands under the names of Potturi Prameela, Rapuru Sambasiva Rao, Avula Mani Kumar, PV Anjani Kumar, Gullapalli Jagadish and Varun Kumar Kothapa even before the submission of the Swiss Challenge proposal by the Singapore Consortium in October 2015. They received a total amount of Rs 1.92 crore from NSPIRA Management Services Pvt Ltd, owned and run by Narayana’s daughters and son-in-law, and purchased 75,880 square yards in various capital villages and two acres in Rayapudi.” As per highly-placed sources, it is learnt that the officials are likely to issue eviction notices to Naidu after taking legal opinion.