Acharya's role surfaces in Jagan case too

                                                                    

The role of suspended IAS officer B.P. Acharya came into sharp focus even in the case against Kadapa MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy as the CBI has charged him with allotting 150 acres of land to pharma companies Aurobindo and Hetero at Jadcherla in a “clandestine” manner.

After receiving the formal approval of SEZ from the Central government, the request of Aurobindo and Hetero was considered without assessment of the requirement of land. These assessments were actually to be done by the plot allotment and price fixation committees of the government. However, Mr. Acharya issued offer letters in-principle to both these companies on the day they submitted applications in the presence of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

Mr. Acharya is already arrested and lodged in jail in the Emaar Hills township scandal which resulted in a huge loss to Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC). He was the Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of APIIC from 2005 to 2010.

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The CBI said in its charge-sheet to the court in Mr. Jagan's case on Saturday that the proposal of APIIC to develop a special economic zone for pharma companies at Jadcherla in Mahabubnagar over 250 acres was kept in the dark to interested entrepreneurs by not issuing newspaper advertisements as required by APIIC rules.

The rate of Rs. 7 lakh an acre as suggested by the companies was conceded instantly though the price fixation committee recommended Rs. 15 lakh to 20 lakh an acre.

Mr. Acharya decided the rate at the instance of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. The extent and rates were not even discussed at the meetings of the committees.

The work had not even commenced on the 26 acres of land allotted to APL Healthcare which is the subsidiary company of Aurobindo.