The most interesting topic of discussion these days in Andhra Pradesh is the likely demolition of Telugu Desam Party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s rented bungalow on the banks of Krishshna river at Vundavall in Amaravati.
The subject has two points: whether or not the house is an illegal construction and whether or not it is justified to demolish the house to throw Naidu on the roads.
There is no doubt that the structure where Naidu has been staying is illegal, as it was identified, along with 24 others, as an unauthorised construction by the TDP government, soon after it came to power.
In fact, the TDP government issued notices to these buildings in early 2015, asking the owners to vacate them and demolish the same.
But soon after Naidu shifted lock, stock and barrel from Hyderabad to Vijayawada to run the administration from Amaravati, things took a different turn.
For reasons known only to Naidu, he chose the same illegal structure as his official bungalow in late 2015 and legalised it, saying it is a government building.
The owner of the building Lingamaneni Ramesh also did not make any claim on the same, as he got another big chunk of land closer to Amaravati getting exemption from land pooling.
The present YSR Congress government, making use of the same notices issued by the TDP government prior to 2015, to prove that Naidu’s house and others on the river banks are illegal. And so, it gave fresh demolition notices under APCRDA act.
Now, Lingamaneni has started claiming it as his own building and said he got all the permissions for the same. He says the fresh demolition notices are illegal.
Naidu, instead of vacating the disputed structure is trying to gain maximum mileage saying he is being hounded out by the Jagan government.
It is for the high court to decide whether Naidu’s residence is illegal or the notice is illegal.