Auction revenue being used for providing amenities

Hyderabad, Mar 17 (UNI)Andhra Pradesh Minister for Municipal Administration Mr Koneru Ranga Rao today informed the state assembly that the income earned by the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) through auction of government lands was being utilised for provision of basic amenities like roads.

Replying to a question by P Shankara Rao and others of the Congress during the Question Hour, he said HUDA had auctioned 827 plots and earned Rs 156.98 crores through auction of plots during the past five years and an amount of Rs 355.44 crore was yet to be collected. He said extension of time by two months for payment was given to all the lands whose value was more than Rs 25,000 a square yard and the EMD of others was forfeited.

When Shankara Rao said the EMD was to be hiked by ten times as land value had shot up by 100 times, the Minister said increase of the EMD was under the consideration of the government.

The Congress member asked the Minister if there was any proposal to allot land to people living Below Poverty Line (BPL), middle class and government employees, the minister said HUDA was so far functioning only as a commercial organisation and the present Congress government was considering provision of houses to poorer sections through it.

The Minister said the money collected through land auctions was being used for the development of the NTR Gardens and Durgam Cheruvu area and laying of a road in Kondapur and another road between Madapur to Shilparamam.

TDP member T Devender Goud alleged that the government was taking the money into the treasury and siphoning it to other areas.

Dismissing the allegation, the Minister said the Chief Minister had ordered provision of funds from the HUDA to the Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority as it had no funds to take up developmental activities.

He said the funds of HUDA were only being used for taking up developmental activities.

UNI JRK VV PAG1710