VIJAYAWADA: The state CID has registered another case against former chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, based on a complaint from APMDC about irregularities in sand allotment during the 2014-19 rule of the Telugu Desam.
The names of Peethala Sujatha as first accused (A1), Chandrababu as A2, Chintamaneni Prabhakar as A3 and Devineni Uma as A4 have been included.
The APMDC has stated that Rs 10,000 crore have been “looted” in the guise of free sand and the accused have acted in ways as to cause serious damage to the government exchequer.
The CID has accused them of causing serious damage to the government exchequer and looting an estimated sum of Rs 10,000 crore. Peethala Sujatha was the mines minister during Chandrababu's last term.
On behalf of APMDC, the director of mines and geology V.G. Venkata Reddy lodged the complaint with the CID. “Based on this, we registered cases under sections 120(B), 409 r/w 34 IPC and sec. 13(1)(d) r/w sec. 13 of PC Act 1988,” the CID said.
The complaint said, “The state periodically frames statutory rules regarding the process, procedures and the limitations on the grant of mining leases vis-a-vis minerals in the state. Prior to 2014, the statutory rules governing the grant of mining leases for sand were regulated vide GO Ms 186 dated 17.12.2013. It contemplated the regulation of extraction/disposal of stream/river sand, introduction of allotment by way of draw of lots and the obligation placed upon the allottees etc.
The complaint explained that in the year 2014, GO Ms 94 dated 28.08.2014 was issued as a part of a Cabinet decision, vesting the sand reaches in the state to M/s APMDC. Thereafter, such reaches were to be allotted to the district/mandal Mahila Samakhyas.
“Procedures and processes in pursuance thereof and the consequential amendment to the statutory rules were issued. It is to be noted that this is a decision in pursuance of a committee's recommendations supported by the Cabinet.”
Neither a factual and legal justification nor the preparatory decision-making process was shown anywhere in the record for this free sand policy."
“There were no regulations or checks and balances to prevent or regulate indiscriminate mining, and no prescription of maximum or minimum quantities was notified.”
The complainant also said the National Green Tribunal, Chennai, vide its order dated 01.08.2016, OA 177, and the High Court on a number of occasions, clearly observed about the rampant illegal sand mining in the guise of a Free Sand Policy.
“Sand worth thousands of crores was allowed to be mined, disposed of and commercially sold, which resulted in conferment of huge pecuniary gains to individuals, contrary to public interest, without necessary safeguards.”
