Vizag MP Sribharat denies Jagan’s charges on Gitam varsity land

Visakhapatnam: Bid to regularise an extent of 54.79 acres at posh Rushikonda in Visakhapatnam to a deemed to be university by the State Government is snowballing into a major controversy with the Opposition parties attributing serious motive behind the move.

Gitam deemed to be university has denied the allegations while YSRCP and Left parties accused the government of attempts to regularise the land to Visakhapatnam MP M Sribharat, son-in-law of actor-turned-MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna, brother-in-law of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Earlier, YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that the land worth Rs5,000 crore is being regularised after GVMC decided to recommend the government to clear it. During the YSRCP regime, a case was filed against the university management after breaking the entry gate. Dismissing the allegations as untrue, Bharat clarified: "Over the last few days YSRCP party, its leaders, your media organisations have been spewing lies and venom on Gitam and me. But it’s sad to see a former chief minister post such factually incorrect and inflammatory statements. While I do not expect help from YSRCP, I hoped that after the illegal demolition of our boundary wall in 2020 by YCP govt during Dussehra break in the middle of the night of a public holiday, sense would prevail about the university.

Let me respond with facts."Bharat in a detailed clarification made recently on X, referred to the Claim 1- 54.79 acres currently proposed for alienation to Gitam is worth Rs. 5,000 crore.In a point-to-point rebuttal, he stated in Response A. "The hill abutting Gitam Rushikonda campus had 35 acres of land in Rajiv Swagruha housing, a project meant for low and middle income housing. In the YSRCP govt, it was converted to mixed use from residential with purported nefarious intentions...I agree that in the last year and a half, under the leadership of Hon'ble CM @ncbn garu, there has been significant development and growth in Vizag.

But if you’re trying to say that land value has increased by 5 times in this NDA govt, there cannot be a bigger endorsement for the growth of Andhra Pradesh & Vizag in such a short time. Please decide your stance."He asked the YSCRP leadership "...was it not your government that gave around 11 acres to an international school TISB less than 1km from Gitam campus at a rate of 1 crore per acre in 2023? If land value is truly 100 crores per acre, what justified you to give the land at such a low price.

There are many more such examples in Vizag and in the state, but I included only one for the comparison. Regardless, I welcomed that decision, as if a good international school comes up in that area - it will serve all the children of new IT employees and others that are going to be moving into Vizag in our government. Sadly, it has been about three years and there isn’t a single construction activity in that land.