The Telugu Desam Party-led coalition government in Andhra Pradesh has issued orders transferring 0.74 acres of land in Visakhapatnam to Aamoda Publications Private Limited, which publishes the Telugu daily Andhra Jyothi, headed by Vemuri Radhakrishna.
According to a government order, 0.24 acres of government land and 0.50 acres belonging to the Andhra Pradesh Housing Board, totalling 0.74 acres, located at Paradesipalem village in Visakhapatnam Rural mandal, have been transferred free of cost to the media organisation.
The land was allocated in lieu of the earlier 1.50 acres of land alienated in favour of Aamoda Publications Pvt Ltd on June 28, 2017 on payment of market value. Of this, 0.74 acres of land was covered in National Highway Buffer Zone.
However, the land allocation to Andhra Jyothy was cancelled on January 30, 2020, by the then YSR Congress party government headed by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, which asked the Visakhapatnam district collector to resume the land through a due procedure.
Aggrieved by the cancellation of land by the Jagan government, Radhakrishna moved the state high court challenging the same.
On November 29, 2024, the high court set aside the orders and directed the land be restored to the Amoda Publications.
Since the TDP-led coalition came to power at the time of the high court order, it did not challenge it and decided to implement the high court directions in accordance with law within time.
Meanwhile, Radhakrishna requested the government to allot another piece of land in exchange of the originally allotted land in view of the buffer zone issues.
Now, the government issued fresh orders allotting a separate piece of land to Andhra Jyothy free of cost, as the management had already paid the market value for the originally allotted land, sources said.