AP-CM-BUILDING

AP CM orders demolition of govt building
Amaravati (AP), June 24 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief
Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy Monday ordered demolition of a
government building on a riverbed here, constructed during the
tenure of his predecessor N Chandrababu Naidu, saying it was
built in "violation" of rules and "involved corruption".
The 'Praja Vedika' (grievance hall) was built by the AP
Capital Region Development Authority on the Krishna riverbed
near the residence of Naidu, the Telugu Desam Party President
and the present Leader of the Opposition.
The order of Jagan effectively meant rejection of Naidu's
plea to him earlier this month that the hall, used for
official meetings in the previous regime, be declared as
'residence annex' of the Leader of Opposition.
The chief minister made the announcement in his inaugural
speech at a two-day conference of district Collectors and
Superintendents of Police that began Monday as the gathering
of state ministers and top bureaucrats greeted it with
applause.
We have all assembled here, in this big, gigantic hall.
These many Collectors, Secretaries, ministers and CM myself
are sitting here. Is this building a legally valid building?
In this, there are no rules. It is built in violation of
rules, against the law and built with corruption, he said.
Jagan, who led his YSR Congress to a landslide win in the
recent assembly elections, said the ongoing meeting will be
last event to be held in the hall and the demolition would
begin after the completion of the SPs' meeting Tuesday.
I am giving instructions, orders from the same
hallthis will be the last meeting here in this hall. After
completion of SPs meeting tomorrow, the first demolition will
begin here. Lets live by an example. Lets start off here,
he said, sending a strong message.
The entire government machinery, right from the CM, is
conducting its meeting in an illegal building. Knowing that it
is illegal, we are conducting the meeting here, he noted.
The Chief Minister referred to a letter written by the
Irrigation Krishna Central Division Executive Engineer before
the construction of the building that it was not possible to
issue clearance for it.
While the maximum flood level in river Krishna was 22.60
meters, the highest field level, where the building stood, was
19.50 mts, lower than the flood level, Jagan said.
"River Conservation Act was overruled, Lokayukta
recommendations were overruled. Environment Protection Act,
River Conservation Act, National Green Tribunal orders, Master
Plan and building by-laws...government itself threw them to
the winds, the Chief Minister added.
On the level of corruption, he said while tenders were
invited for an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore, the cost was
escalated to Rs 8.90 crore during execution.
Quoting from a report, he alleged that while two bidders
participated in the tender, the second bidder was disqualified
to ensure the other got the contract.
To realise what kind of a system we are in and how to
change it I said we will have this meeting here. Had some
ordinary person built it, we would have gone and pulled it
down. But, being in governmentbeing the Chief Ministerwe
ourselves are flouting the rules.
"If we ourselves flout the rules, tomorrow do we have the
moral capacity or moral ground to go and tell somebody not to
do this, the chief minister asked.
He told the bureaucrats to ask themselves this question
and said When we are leading the state, we should become role
models. We should live by example."
I am giving instructions, orders from the same... this
will be the last meeting here in this hall. After completion
of SPs meeting tomorrow, the first demolition will begin here.
Lets live by an example. Lets start off here, he added. PTI
DBV
VS VS

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from a PTI feed.)