Swaraj Maidan is an asset of people of Vijayawada and we will fight tooth and nail, even by resorting to legal course, against the land-hungry Telugu Desam Government, according to cross-section of people who took part in a roundtable organised by the Tax Payers Association here on Wednesday.
Former Minister Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao said the precious open space in the middle of the city was used by the denizens for several purposes such as industrial exhibitions, religious, political meetings, book expos, training of four-wheelers and outdoor games.
“Naidu’s Waterloo”
“The land which is worth ₹1,000 crore is being given away for a meagre ₹134 crores to a Chinese company to build a Times Square, a huge concrete jungle under private-public partnership,” Mr. Sobhanadreeswara Rao said.
He said Swaraj Maiden will be Chandrababu Naidu political Waterloo and sought the support of the people in protecting it.
CPI(M) leader Ch. Babu Rao said that the State government was doling out several open spaces in the city to corporate sector and cited many examples. “The Bhavani Islands, Vidhyadharapuram bus depot, the four acre land near Gunadala power station are given away for private companies. There will no open space left in the city,” he warned.
Tax Payers Association President V. Sambi Reddy said it was sad when China was keen on encroaching India by occupying Arunachal Pradesh but on the other hand Chandrababu Naidu interested in handing over the lands to the Chinese Company.
“The need of the hour is to create awareness among people by conducting meetings. We should also meet the Mayor, corporators and highlight the danger of losing the Swaraj Maidan,” Mr. Sambi Reddy pointed out.
YSR Congress Party city president Vallampalli Srinivas said the Telugu Desam Party was taking up several anti-people activities and was earning the wrath of the common man.
CPI(M) city secretary Donepudi Kasinath, Congress leaders Malladi Vishnu, K. Sivaji, representatives of Aam Aadmi Party, Welfare Party of India, NGOs and trade unions took part in the meeting.
