Ambati Rambabu, the YSRCongress spokesperson who was chairman of APIIC from February 2005 to February 2007, has blamed BP Acharya, the then MD of the corporation, for having set the dirt cheap rates at which villa plots were given away in the Emaar scam.
For the record, the official price of these villa plots was shown as a mere Rs 5,000 per square yard whereas the prevailing market rate was over Rs 50,000 per square yard.
The CBI, in its probe into the scam, had earlier recorded Ambati's statement. "The issue pertaining to the marketing and selling of villa plots was never discussed by the APIIC board. Rather it was not brought to the notice of the APIIC board by the VC and MD (Acharya).
"Acharya was nominated by the state to the board of EHTPL, the special purpose vehicle for the project. So, he must be aware of the rates at which these plots were being sold. This issue should have been brought to the notice of the APIIC board by Acharya that a collective decision might have been taken by the board," Ambati said in his statement to CBI.
The former APIIC chairman also told CBI that although MGF's entry as co-developer occurred during his tenure - in November 2006 - the issue came to his notice only upon expiry of his term, in February 2007.
Botsa blames it on KV Rao: PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana, who was part of the YS Rajasekhara Reddy regime as minister for major industries between May 2004 and July 2005, blamed KV Rao, the then principal secretary for industries, for not fixing lease rentals for 235 acres of land for the golf course in accordance with the minutes of official meetings.
Although it was agreed that lease rental would be collected at 2% of gross annual revenue for the first 33 years and at 3% for the next 33 years, the same was not reflected in the GO (GO Ms No. 22) issued on January 27, 2005. Only 2% lease rental was fixed for the entire 66 years. "It is believed that KV Rao issued this GO at his prerogative without referring the matter to me or to the chief minister. In the normal course, a GO rectifying the error should have been issued, which was not done in this case", minister Botsa said in his statement.
However, at one stage, he blamed TDP for according the 'status of a tourism project to the Emaar project which might have resulted in concessions to Emaar' when it was in power. As to why the land value had not been increased to Rs 40 lakh per acre in 2005 from the Rs 29 lakh fixed in 2002, the minister said that both the then APIIC MD and principal secretary of industries are to be blamed for going ahead with the old rate.
"I went by the recommendations of the APIIC MD and industries secretary, which was later approved by the finance minister and the chief minister," Botsa said in his statement.
Brahmani got two plots at throwaway price: Brahmani, daughter-in-law of TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, got two villa plots that together add up to 2,440 square yards and are worth Rs 12.5 crore for just Rs 1.2 crore. Although the process started as early as 2007, the registration of the sale agreement at the Serilingampalli sub-registrar's office was done in March 2010, exactly six months after the demise of YS Rajasekhara Reddy.
The payments were made from the joint account of Brahmani and her mother Nandamuri Vasundhara at the rate of Rs 5,000 per square yard.
For the record, the official price of these villa plots was shown as a mere Rs 5,000 per square yard whereas the prevailing market rate was over Rs 50,000 per square yard.
The CBI, in its probe into the scam, had earlier recorded Ambati's statement. "The issue pertaining to the marketing and selling of villa plots was never discussed by the APIIC board. Rather it was not brought to the notice of the APIIC board by the VC and MD (Acharya).
"Acharya was nominated by the state to the board of EHTPL, the special purpose vehicle for the project. So, he must be aware of the rates at which these plots were being sold. This issue should have been brought to the notice of the APIIC board by Acharya that a collective decision might have been taken by the board," Ambati said in his statement to CBI.
The former APIIC chairman also told CBI that although MGF's entry as co-developer occurred during his tenure - in November 2006 - the issue came to his notice only upon expiry of his term, in February 2007.
Botsa blames it on KV Rao: PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana, who was part of the YS Rajasekhara Reddy regime as minister for major industries between May 2004 and July 2005, blamed KV Rao, the then principal secretary for industries, for not fixing lease rentals for 235 acres of land for the golf course in accordance with the minutes of official meetings.
Although it was agreed that lease rental would be collected at 2% of gross annual revenue for the first 33 years and at 3% for the next 33 years, the same was not reflected in the GO (GO Ms No. 22) issued on January 27, 2005. Only 2% lease rental was fixed for the entire 66 years. "It is believed that KV Rao issued this GO at his prerogative without referring the matter to me or to the chief minister. In the normal course, a GO rectifying the error should have been issued, which was not done in this case", minister Botsa said in his statement.
However, at one stage, he blamed TDP for according the 'status of a tourism project to the Emaar project which might have resulted in concessions to Emaar' when it was in power. As to why the land value had not been increased to Rs 40 lakh per acre in 2005 from the Rs 29 lakh fixed in 2002, the minister said that both the then APIIC MD and principal secretary of industries are to be blamed for going ahead with the old rate.
"I went by the recommendations of the APIIC MD and industries secretary, which was later approved by the finance minister and the chief minister," Botsa said in his statement.
Brahmani got two plots at throwaway price: Brahmani, daughter-in-law of TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, got two villa plots that together add up to 2,440 square yards and are worth Rs 12.5 crore for just Rs 1.2 crore. Although the process started as early as 2007, the registration of the sale agreement at the Serilingampalli sub-registrar's office was done in March 2010, exactly six months after the demise of YS Rajasekhara Reddy.
The payments were made from the joint account of Brahmani and her mother Nandamuri Vasundhara at the rate of Rs 5,000 per square yard.
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