VIJAYAWADA: In an interesting development, the State government has decided to withdraw its earlier decision to allot a prime land measuring around 4.15 acres belonging to Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) in Vijayawada to Lulu Group International for the construction of a Lulu Mall, following widespread criticism over the move and legal challenges Wednesday.
Informing the government’s decision to the court, Advocate General Dammalapati Srinivas said the government would cancel the Government Order (GO) issued for allotting land to Lulu. He added that formal cancellation orders would be issued shortly, along with a memo to be filed before the HC.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Challa Gunaranjan disposed of a petition filed by advocate Satyanarayana challenging the allotment. However, the HC granted liberty to the petitioner to approach it if the government makes fresh allocations in violation of norms.
In a related development, the court adjourned the hearing of another petition filed by former minister Vadde Shobhanadreeswara Rao, who not only challenged the land allotment but questioned policy of government land allocations.
The bench decided to keep his petition pending and directed the registry to tag it with similar cases. Another public interest litigation filed by advocate CH Venkateswara Rao is under consideration in the same issue.
The controversy pertains to the government’s decision to allot 4.15 acres of land belonging to the APSRTC in Vijayawada to Lulu Group. It drew criticism from opposition, farmers welfare associations and civil society groups.
Objections centred on the alleged diversion of a public asset to a private entity, lack of a transparent bidding process, and concerns that the land may have been allotted at a price below market value, causing loss to the State exchequer.