WB Dropped Loan Due To Land Scam?

Even as the World Bank on Friday gave a clarification that it had dropped the loan proposal for Amaravati capital city project, the YSR Congress party sought to turn the tables on the previous Telugu Desam Party.

YSRC leaders alleged that the World Bank backed out from lending for the Amaravati project because of alleged irregularities in the project.

YSRC MP V Vijay Sai Reddy said the World Bank wanted to conduct an inquiry into alleged irregularities by the Naidu government in the past.

“There were a lot of complaints about irregularities in the construction of Amaravati; irregularities committed by the previous Naidu government. The World Bank had received numerous complaints on these irregularities. The World Bank had sought permission to conduct an inquiry. Understandably, the Home Ministry was concerned and so was the Andhra Pradesh government, that a foreign agency would conduct an investigation in a sovereign nation like India,” Sai Reddy said.

YSRC chief whip G Srikanth Reddy said the World Bank had received complaints that the previous TDP government had indulged in massive corruption in the land pooling and done a lot of injustice to Dalit farmers and tenant farmers.

It also came to know about the real estate mafia in Amaravati and found fault with Naidu for not implementing the 2013 Land Acquisition Act.

“Naidu had brought a very bad name to Andhra Pradesh at the international level with his illegal land dealings in Amaravati, which resulted in the World Bank opting out of the project,” he said.

The TDP chief, however, said the Jagan government was responsible for rejection of loan by the World Bank.

“The YSRC leaders were behind the complaints lodged by some farmers with the World Bank. Now, no bank will come forward to give loans,” he lamented.