: Endowments Minister P. Manikyala Rao has sought to clear the air on the alleged scam relating to the Sadavarti Satram lands, saying that the government has auctioned the lands in a transparent manner. The government is ready to hand over the lands to any person who pays at least one per cent more than the Rs. 22 lakh quoted by the successful bidder.
At a press conference here on Tuesday, Mr. Manikyala Rao said the government followed due procedures before auctioning the satram lands.
The Government had no documents relating to the satram except a court decree. The auction of 83 acres was conducted with many conditions such as it was the responsibility of the bidder to get the illegal occupiers evicted.
There was no response and cooperation from the Tamil Nadu government in this regard. The reserve price of the land was also fixed by consulting a lawyer in Chennai. There was no response from the public when the reserve price was fixed at Rs. 50 lakh per acre. Finally, the successful bidders purchased it at a price of Rs. 22 lakh per acre. The entire auction process was videographed and there was no scope for scam, he explained.
The Endowments Department took possession of the land belonging to the satram in 1962.
Despite this, the management of the affairs used to be carried out by the trustees of the satram. The State government has been trying to reclaim the lands located in Chennai. While the satram had more than 471 acres, only 83 acres remained unoccupied. A major portion was either occupied or distributed by the Tamil Nadu government, he said.
