By Express News Service
VIJAYAWADA: Former Agriculture Minister Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao on Tuesday wrote to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu asking him to reconsider the allocation of 40 acres of land at a throwaway price to Franklin Templeton. He also demanded a rethink on several exemptions given to the private firm.
In the letter, Sobhanadreeswara Rao said vide GO No 2 dated January 11, 25 acres of land in survey number 409 between Rushikonda and Madhuvaravada was given to Franklin Templeton and later another 15 acres was allocated, but kept in reserve for seven years.
He questioned why the government was providing 40 acres for Rs 32.5 lakh per acre — the market value being Rs 10 crore per acre — when the organisation’s headquarters in California stands on just 10 acres.
The former minister said Franklin Templeton’s promise of creating 2,500 high-end jobs in Andhra Pradesh could not be trusted given its grey track record. Land was provided to the company in Hyderabad in 2007 and the firm’s COO promised to make the city its headquarters and provide jobs, but nothing materialised, he reminded the Chief Minister.
Citing AP IT Policy 2014-20 guidelines, he said IT firms had the right to use 20 per cent of the allocated land for staff quarters and recreation facilities, but now Franklin Templeton has been given permission to utilise 30 per cent of the land for commercial purposes.
As per GO NO 21, dated September 22, 2016, the firm has to commence construction work within 180 days of being allocated land and at the same time provide 30 per cent of the promised jobs in three years, 70 per cent of the jobs in 5 years and all jobs in six years. He accused the state government of going out of its way to exempt Franklin Templeton from the conditions.
The Supreme Court in its verdict on the 2G spectrum scam had made it clear that government lands should not be given to private organisations at cheaper rates. The Andhra Pradesh government has done just that, he alleged and said speculations were rife about backstage deals. “It is imperative for the state government to cancel GOs pertaining to the allocation of land to the said company and allocate the lands as per actual requirement,” he stressed.
