Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is being misled by his own secretaries in CMO in recommending the investors for government land allotment.
The deliberations that took place in the State-level Investment Promotion Committee yesterday, clearly indicated this. Some officials are recommending dubious applicants calling them investors to get the government lands allotted at cheaper rates. Recommended by these officers, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu would make public announcements of investments in public meetings and assure the people of industrialization of the area and employment opportunities. This happened in the case of Jain Irrigation Systems in Kurnool district, according to sources.
In August 2015, Chandrababu Naidu laid foundation for a Mega Food Park in Kurnool district. For this, government has allotted 623 acres of Tangedancha state farm lands to the Jain Irrigation Systems purportedly to set up an integrated agricultural and horticultural park. But it turned out that the company had no blue print for its ambitious project. The chief secretary SP Tucker found himself dissatisfied with the company’s plans. He reportedly briefed the chief minister how Industries department had recommended applications for land allotment without verifying genuineness of the proposals, whether the project really needs the extent of land the government proposes to allocate, what was the employment potential etc.
In the meeting, according to sources, the chief secretary took Industries commission Kartikeya Mishra to the task for his casual approach in recommending many dubious proposal for the land allotment and throwing to the wind the follow-up action after the land allotment.
Besides Mishra, the meeting was also attended by special chief secretary Ajay Kallam, Investment and Infrastructure principal secretary Ajay Jain, Industries secretary Girja Sankar and official from bureau of economics and statistics.
Interestingly, one of the senior officials from Industries department passed the buck to CMO. The official reportedly told the chief secretary, much to the surprise of others, that chief minister’s secretary Sai Prasad, is vetting the applications and forwarding to us, they had no role whatsoever in finalizing the investors.
The chief secretary took strong objection that neither the industries department , nor the revenue department had kept watch on the investors, who got the lands allotted to their projects.
Tucker was aghast to know that none of them were keeping a report on progress of the project- if the land allotted was being put to use or not, if so what extent, whether the units were grounded at all, what was the employment generated etc. He instructed Karthikeya Mishra to conduct a job and land audit of the companies who were given land in the name of setting up of industries.
The chief secretary said the proposal of Jain Irrigation Systems had been kept in abeyance until they submit a credible investment plan. ” Some non-serious proposals have also been cleared for land allotment to get the land allotted. They would set up nothing and in no time, they would sell away the land and disappear. Who is responsible for this,” the chief secretary asked. ” I have briefed the CM about what was happening in the land allotments. He asked me to be tough on all proposals, ” he cautioned the officials, according to sources.
