‘Why should taxpayers pay for actions of corrupt officials?’
AP Tourism Department knowingly permitted Vinayagar Hotels & Resorts Pvt Ltd in the past to set up a permanent structure on the coastline of the city in brazen violation of the CRZ norms
Visakhapatnam: Former Secretary to the Union Government EAS Sarma has taken a strong exception to Andhra Pradesh State government’s decision to pay compensation to a private hotel which was built violating norms.
In a letter addressed to Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh government Adityanath Das, on Thursday, he referred to the GO No 130 dated 29-7-2021 issued by the State Youth Advancement, Tourism and Culture (YAT&C) Department granting Rs 1.60 crore as “compensation” in favour of Vinayagar Hotels & Resorts Pvt Ltd, Visakhapatnam.
“The State Tourism Department knowingly permitted Vinayagar Hotels & Resorts Pvt Ltd in the past to set up a permanent structure on the coastline of the city in brazen violation of the CRZ norms, despite protests from many of us. The GVMC and the erstwhile VUDA officers, who are supposed to be the custodians of the CRZ norms, connived with the company and the State Tourism Department to allow such illegal structures to come up,” he recalled.
He said the AP High Court in 2014 had directed the State Government for removal of the irregular constructions, if not already done, in accordance with law and after giving opportunity of hearing to all the concerned, within three months. However, the authorities, who are ever ready to demolish the huts of poor families in Vizag at the drop of a hat, had had no hesitation to wait for seven long years to implement the court orders. Now, they had taken the courageous decision at last to demolish the illegal resort, only after bowing down to the wishes of the law-breaker for paying a huge compensation of Rs 1.60 crore to the company at the cost of the tax-payer of the State, he added.
“Why should the taxpayers pay for the sins committed by the corrupt officers of all these departments? In the normal course, one would expect the law-breaker to be asked to pay a penalty, but in this case, the penalty is being imposed on the innocent taxpayers. Is it just?” Dr Sarma asked.
He said there is no question of AP taxpayers bearing the cost of the largesse doled out by YAT&C Department to M/s Vinayagar Hotels and
Resorts and the entire amount should be recovered from the pockets of politicians responsible and officers of GVMC, the erstwhile VUDA and the Tourism Department instrumental in giving irregular clearances, he said.
He also demanded that departmental and criminal proceedings should be launched against all of them and heavy penalties imposed on the private company. Noting that there were numerous such illegal structures standing along the city coastline, in violation of the CRZ norms, he urged the State government to obtain a list of those structures, identify the officers who were responsible for giving clearances for them and take penal action against them, in addition to demolishing the structures.
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