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Andhra govt counters Naidu’s charges on expenses on Jagan, says more spent by TDP leader
The disclosure of the government orders comes two days after TDP leader Naidu criticised the state government for splurging ₹15.65 crore on chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s the camp office in Guntur district’s Tadepalli in the last four months during what he said was a financial crisis in the state.
In a tit-for-tat move, the ruling YSR Congress Party in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday said more than ₹30 crore was spent during the previous Telugu Desam Party regime towards former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s residence.
The disclosure of the government orders comes two days after TDP leader Naidu criticised the state government for splurging ₹15.65 crore on chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s the camp office in Guntur district’s Tadepalli in the last four months during what he said was a financial crisis in the state.
According to a YSRC Party leader familiar with the development, the GOs released between 2014 to 2018 reveal that the TDP government had spent around ₹26 crore on various installations, repair works and purchases for Naidu’s residences and camp offices in Hyderabad and Vijayawada.
“This is apart from the ₹4.41 crore spent for purchase of various items, including handicrafts from Lepakshi Emporium for Naidu’s camp office at No 1, Janpath, New Delhi,” the YSRC leader said.
Disclosing a few details of the expenditure made on Naidu’s residences and camp offices, the leader said ₹2.99 crore was released on June 4, 2014, for repairs and renovations to the Lake View Guest House at Raj Bhavan Road in Hyderabad, which was allotted to Andhra Pradesh towards CM’s camp office.
In August 2014, ₹49 lakh was released for smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, inverters, ACs and public address system and ₹1.08 crore for CCTV cameras in the same guest house. In July 2015, another ₹67.50 lakh was released for providing solar fencing and boom barriers for the guest house.
“Surprisingly, Naidu hardly came to the Lake View guest house to attend the office duties. Within a few months, he moved to Vijayawada to run the government from there,” the YSRC leader said.
The Naidu government also spent more than ₹1 crore for making security arrangements, including building security posts and barricades etc, at his residence at Road No 24, Jubilee Hills.
“After he shifted to his camp office at Vijayawada, his government again released ₹14.65 crore for new works taken up at this office, besides ₹63.58 lakh for renovations and another ₹31.70 lakh for installation of access control equipment there,” the leader pointed out.
Subsequently, nearly ₹3 crore was spent on security-related issues at the same camp office at Vijayawada in November 2017, besides several lakhs of rupees in the name of annual maintenance and provision of various other facilities.
“But by that time, Naidu had already moved into his official residence at Vundavalli on the banks of Krishna River and started operating from the secretariat at Velagapudi. The camp office at Vijayawada remained till it was recently converted into Raj Bhavan for the new Governor,” the YSRC leader said.
Besides, another ₹34 lakh was spent on various security-related works of Naidu’s bungalow at Madinaguda in Hyderabad, he added.
When contacted, the TDP’s official spokesperson Varla Ramaiah refused to comment, saying he was yet to go through the GOs released by the YSRC government.
“I don’t want to comment without knowing the correct details,” he said.
