Vijaywada, June 24 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday, in a surprise development, ordered demolition of ‘Praja Vedika’ – a government building which was temporarily built by former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on the banks of Krishna River to conduct official meetings.
Ironically, CM Jagan Mohan Reddy conducted a collectors’ conference in this very building on the same day as when he ordered for its demolition. While reviewing official matters, Jagan Mohan Reddy announced in the meeting, “The very building and premises where we are holding this meeting is illegal and was built flouting all rules and norms. We will bring in transparency in every department and also we will take strict possible action against all the misdeeds of Chandrababu Naidu and the Telugu Desam Party government.”
Jagan Mohan Reddy also said that the demolition of the building would take place within the next couple of days. He also disclosed that this is the last official meeting in this building.
Since Jagan Mohan Reddy took over as Chief Minister, he has been busy reversing a number of decisions taken by his predecessor. Praja Vedika, the latest thorn in the flesh, was constructed in 2015 on the orders of the then CM Chandrababu at a cost of approximately Rs 10 crore and in close proximity to his residence here. While Chandrababu and his family members are currently out of the country on a vacation, TDP officials have termed Jagan’s decision to demolish Praja Vedika as vindictive politics. “It is clear that the Chief Minister is pursuing vindictive politics here. Why should he demolish a building just because it was built by TDP government? Instead, if he doesn’t want to use it, he can convert into some facility which will be useful for general public,” said TDP MLC Buddha Venkanna.
