Naidu govt to ‘dig up dirt’ on Cong ex-CMs.

HYDERABAD: In a move that could be labelled as witch-hunting by the Congress and YSR Congress, the Chandrababu Naidu government on Friday appointed a group of ministers (GoM) to review all cases where the state lost either property or revenue due to the decisions of the previous Congress governments.

A four-member group of ministers comprising finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, health minister Kamineni Srinivas, labour minister K Acchannaidu and information technology minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy are to examine the decisions of three Congress chief ministers. This step is seen as a move towards cancelling several land alienations, mine leases, etc., done during the regimes of YS Rajasekhara Reddy, K Rosaiah and Kiran Kumar Reddy.

All the land alienation to Special Economic Zones and companies, water allocation to cement factories as well as mine leases that have become controversial and attracted probes by the CBI will come under the scrutiny of the committee. This is the first GoM appointed by Naidu. As per the GO issued on Friday, the subject it will study is "tackling corruption and protection of public properties and revenues."

In the name of this study, the GoM is mandated to review all the cases of illegal alienation of natural resources such as land, SEZ, forest wealth, mines and miners and cases of revenue loss due to illegal liquor sales, loot of forest wealth, siphoning away of money in public works, especially in irrigation. Sources in the government said all the cases which have been investigated by the CBI and CID would also come under the preview of the committee.

"Mobilization advances given to irrigation contractors, sprouting of belts shops, iron ore and mineral mining leases and water allocation to companies like India Cements will be examined. The GoM will also conduct a land audit to see if the commitments of providing employment to the youth as per the norms while alienating land to SEZs were met," sources said. The GOM would examine whether the land alienated to companies had been fully utilised as per the MoU or whether it been misused or underutilized.

Based on the recommendations of the GoM, the TDP government could take back the land allotted to SEZs and companies, the sources said. The report of the GoM would also pave the way to re-open the notorious liquor scam in which names of many ministers in the Kiran Kumar Reddy government had been linked, the sources said.

Meanwhile, the TRS government too is mulling coming out with a new industrial policy that will facilitate it to take back the unused land allotted to companies in Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Medak district for industrial purposes. On Friday, chief minister K Chandrasekahr Rao convened a review meeting with officials of industry and commerce departments and directed them to prepare a comprehensive report on land use and come out with a new industrial policy.

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com