Andhra Pradesh: Police detains TDP leaders on their way to sand dunes

Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India]: Amaravati police has detained Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders who were on their way to sand dunes in the city in protest against alleged looting of Rs 40,000 crore worth of sand over the past four years TDP leaders had called for the seige of the sand mining region in Amaravati. When stopped by the police, TDP leaders and workers sit on the road in protest.

Former MLA Kommalapati Sridhar and former minister Pullarao were going to visit Konuru and Kottapally sand dunes in Acchampeta mandal of Pedakurapadu constituency in Amaravati police station limits.

An argument started between party leaders and police when Amaravati police questioned them. Police officials stated that without prior permission TDP leaders would not be allowed to reach the sand mining belt.

Police has detained the leaders and has taken them to police station.

Earlier on August 25, Former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu demanded Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy to respond within 48 hours on alleged looting of Rs 40,000 crore worth of sand in the past four years and declared that soon after the TDP forms the coming government he will order for an inquiry into this robbery.

Making a PowerPoint presentation at the party headquarters in Amaravati on how Jagan allegedly looted the State of this sand worth thousands of crores, Chandarbabu Naidu said that the officials involved in this scam too will have to face the inquiry and they will be punished if found guilty.

The former chief minister noted that the orders of the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court were violated in minting Rs 40,000 cr through the sand scam.

Pointing out that a free sand policy was adopted during the TDP regime to encourage the construction industry, Chandrababu said, “Several lakhs of people benefited from this. DWCRA groups have been given the responsibility to maintain sand reaches to ensure that sand is available to even the common man.”

“The person while in Opposition resorted to a vicious campaign at that time that sand was being subjected to looting and he even promised to make door-delivery of sand is successfully ransacking the State in these four years,” Chandrababu remarked.