AgriGold Customers and Agents Welfare Association president Muppala Nageswara Rao on Friday said that a 20-day ‘AgriGold Bhadhitula Chaitanya Yatra’ will be taken up from August 5 in all the districts until August 25 with an aim to exert pressure on the State government to begin the disbursement of compensation to the victims of suicides and speed up auction process of the assets.
Speaking to The Hindu, he said in the recent State-level meeting of the association, several delegates expressed their doubts over the sincerity of the government in tackling the issue. “Four months have lapsed after the Chief Minister’s promise on the floor of the Assembly about payment of ₹5 lakh as compensation. But there is no progress.”
He said this yatra will expose the lackadaisical nature of the government and lack of will to arrest the absconding directors of the company Avva Seetha Rama Rao and Moganti Bhanuji Rao. “The issue has taken a political turn as political parties are involved in the scam. If the government wants to arrest these two directors it can do it in no time. Something is fishy,” he felt.
‘Legal hurdles’
Mr. Rao said these directors were creating legal hurdles and stalling the auction process by misleading the courts by promising higher returns for the confiscated assets.
“Two months back they promised to get ₹1,700 crore to four properties but they failed to do so. Again they are playing the trick to the four properties which were put to auction,” he pointed out.
He said the State government was yet to come out with the promised legislation which was meant to protect the investors depositing money in chit fund and private finance companies. “We have formed a 19-member women’s wing of the association to interact with the women victims and bolster their confidence and morale.” He said as many as 142 customers and agents committed suicide in Andhra Pradesh. “The government which pays compensation to victims of accidents and other calamities on the spot, is not showing any interest towards families of the victims who committed suicides in this mega scam.”
He took objection to suggestions of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Raghuveera Reddy and YSR Congress Party chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy seeking a CBI probe. “CBI probe will be a time consuming exercise and will take more time to solve the issue thus leading to more frustration and suicides.”
