Amaravati IRR case: Andhra CID files chargesheet against Chandrababu Naidu; lists kickbacks, conspiracy

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh CID filed a chargesheet against TDP Chief and former CM Chandrababu Naidu in the Amaravati Inner Ring Road (IRR) and master plan case.

The chargesheet was submitted before the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) trial court in Vijayawada.

As per the proceedings which took place in Andhra Pradesh High Court earlier, former AP CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Ponguru Narayana ( former Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development), Nara Lokesh ( who was a Director of M/ s Heritage Foods Pvt Ltd and realtor - brothers Lingamaneni Rajashekar and Lingamaneni Ramesh were mentioned as the main accused.

Chandrababu Naidu and Ponguru Narayana were the ex-officio Chairman and Vice Chairman of the AP Capital Region Development Authority. According to the CID, they falsely projected to the Government and the Council of Ministers that there was a Government to Government Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Singapore and the Government of Andhra Pradesh. However, there was no such MoU and there was no required approval from the Government of India,for such an MOU.

"Using the falsehood, they appointed a foreign Master planner (M/s Surbana Jurong ) on a nomination basis and paid them several crores of rupees in fee. The Master planner was utilized to prepare the designs for the Master Plans in such a manner as to have an Inner Ring Road and a Seed Development Area/ Start-up Area to the advantage of the accused," the CID stated.

The Inner Ring Road was designed in a manner to pass just adjacent to the land bank of the Lingamanenis M/s Heritage Foods (in which Chandrababu Naidu and his family members had controlling interests) and the educational institution's campuses belonging to the family members of Ponguru Narayana.

Ponguru Narayana financed and purchased about 58 acres of land in the name of his relatives and conspiracy with Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the Seed Capital Area was designed just adjacent to these lands. They committed to spend Rs 5500 Crores from the public exchequer and to make it the area to be developed first, before any other area in the Capital city area.

As a quid-pro-quo for the windfall gains in the value appreciation of the land bank of about 340 acres received by the Lingamanenis, they gifted a palatial house for the use of Nara Chandrababu Naidu and his family members as a rent-free accommodation.

The ACB court had earlier issued ad-interim attachment orders on this house deeming it as proceeds of crime, under the Criminal Law Amendment Ordinance,1944. M/ s Heritage Foods had purchased about 14 Acres of land adjacent to the land bank of the Lingamanenis. The Inner Ring Road was designed to lie just adjacent to these lands, with the need for a very minimal acquisition of land. It caused rapid appreciation of the value of the lands.

The offenses were found to be punishable under sections 120(B), 409, 420, 34, 35, 36, 37 IPC and Sec.13(2) r/w 13(1)(c)&(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.