Date:30/08/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/08/30/stories/2007083060750500.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

TDP president’s remark draws flak

Special Correspondent

Guesthouses should not be allowed on Tirumala Hills: Naidu

HYDERABAD: Housing Minister B. Satyanarayana here on Wednesday ridiculed Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu for his statement that construction of private guesthouses should not be allowed on the Tirumala Hills.

Speaking to reporters, the Minister pointed out it was Mr. Naidu who had encouraged private guesthouses on the holy hills during his tenure as Chief Minister. In this connection, he referred to the permission granted by the Chandrababu Naidu Government to Vijay Malya, a liquor baron in Karnataka, to construct guest-houses on the hills.

He dismissed as “baseless”, the charge levelled by the CPI(M) that he and his family members had purchased huge extents of lands at Aganampudi near Visakhapatnam at throw-away prices at a time when the Volkswagen car factory was likely to come up at the place.

Verification

He said he had asked the district Collector to verify whether he or his family members had owned any land at the place and if so, provide details to public.

The Minister said the Collector was expected to make his findings public in two days. He said an extent of 140 acres of land at the place was under verification and the Collector had already re-claimed 15 acres out of this having found that this belonged to the Government.