Andhra govt partially demolishes GITAM university campus in Vizag for alleged encroachment

In an in a single day drive, civic authorities in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam on Saturday demolished the compound wall and some different buildings of the Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management (GITAM) University, a prestigious personal college at Rishikonda on town outskirts.

The demolition adopted a current report submitted by Visakhapatnam income divisional officer (RDO) Penchala Kishore to the federal government, declaring that the college was in possession of 40.51 acres of presidency land which it had allegedly encroached upon in the course of the earlier Telugu Desam Party authorities.

GITAM University was promoted by former TDP parliamentarian late M V V S Murthy. It is presently managed by his grandson M Sri Bharat, who additionally occurs to be son-in-law of senior Tollywood actor and MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna, son of TDP founder and former chief minister N T Rama Rao.

Incidentally, Bharat contested the 2019 common elections from Visakhapatnam parliamentary constituency on TDP ticket.

The demolitions which started after midnight went on until the early hours of Saturday. Apart from the principle entrance and safety chamber, the whole compound wall of the engineering and medical blocks was razed to the bottom.

Heavy police forces have been deployed on the demolition web site, because the civic authorities closed the method street in the direction of the college. Later, the authorities put up a board declaring it as the federal government property.

An official of the GITAM University stated the GVMC officers had carried out the demolition drive with out issuing any prior discover. “We came to know only in the morning. We informed the higher authorities that the land issue is in the court. No marking was done for identifying the government land,” the official, who refused to be named, stated.

The RDO, nevertheless, instructed reporters that the college had encroached upon over 40 acres of land and the GVMC authorities held talks with the college administration a number of instances. “We have demolished certain structures which were built in the encroached portion of the government land. In the next phase, we shall take some more demolitions,” Kishore stated.

The demolitions evoked sturdy protests from the TDP. Party president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu condemned the demolitions saying it was a transparent act of vengeance towards the political opponents within the state.

He stated the matter was in courtroom however the demolitions have been initiated with out ready for the ultimate verdict. “The destructive attack on a noted educational institution would be a big threat to the future progress and prosperity of the state as a whole,” he stated.

He additionally identified that the college had supplied medical assist to 2,590 Covid-19 sufferers for which it incurred bills of crores of rupees. Such a noble instructional establishment grew to become witness to inconsiderate demolitions in a single day by over 200 personnel. “One who cannot build has no right to demolish, he argued.

Naidu’s son and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh also condemned the demolitions at GITAM University. “The chief minister’s modus operandi is to create terror in the minds of all the people in Visakhapatnam and perpetrate his ruthless rule there,” he alleged.

YSR Congress occasion legislator from Anakapalle Gudivada Amarnath, nevertheless, made it clear that the state authorities wouldn’t spare anyone who resorted to unlawful encroachment of presidency lands and properties.

He alleged that the GITAM college had encroached upon authorities lands price Rs 800 crore. “What is wrong in taking back the government land?” he requested.

He refuted the allegation that the federal government had not given any discover to the college authorities. “In fact, notices were served on the management five months ago,” he stated.