A new twist is emerging almost every day in the controversy surrounding the Daspalla lands in Visakhapatnam, which are estimated to be worth several thousand crore rupees. Interestingly, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) city office in Visakhapatnam is located on the Daspalla lands. For many years, there was a sustained campaign claiming that these were government-owned lands. During the YSRCP government's tenure, however, the lands were removed from the prohibited list and allotted to private individuals. What makes the issue more unusual is that the TDP city office itself was constructed on these lands after the party stated that they were government lands and that it had obtained them on lease from the government. During the YSRCP regime, notices were issued alleging that the construction of the party office was illegal. The TDP subsequently approached the court and secured relief.
The irony is that the land on which the TDP office was built after being leased as government property has now become privately owned. This has raised fresh questions. Will the ruling TDP now pay the market price for the land to the private developers who acquired it during the YSRCP government? Or, since permission has been granted for a 100-foot road through these lands, will the developers allow the TDP office to remain as part of a quid pro quo arrangement? This has now become a subject of intense public interest. The TDP government has reportedly included the proposed 100-foot road in the master plan, a move expected to benefit the YSRCP-era developers by several thousand crore rupees. It is also expected to allot them Transferable Development Rights (TDR) bonds, which are said to be worth thousands of crores as well.
With such significant benefits reportedly being extended to the developers, the question now is whether they will seek payment from the TDP for the party office site or treat it as part of a quid pro quo arrangement. According to TDP leaders, National Working President and Minister Nara Lokesh regularly holds meetings at the Visakhapatnam party office whenever he visits the city and occasionally stays there. They also said that Lokesh has conducted public grievance meetings at the office on several occasions. A party leader remarked that if Lokesh were to hold another public grievance meeting there in the future, and someone questioned how the TDP office was built on privately owned land, it could create difficulties for the party.
The issue is not limited to the TDP office alone. A GVMC water tank is also located in the same area. How the private developers deal with this structure has also become a matter of keen interest in Visakhapatnam. If the developers leave the TDP office untouched but remove only the GVMC water tank, it could trigger a major political controversy. There is also discussion that some influential figures in the government are expected to benefit significantly from the latest Daspalla land deal, keeping public attention firmly focused on the issue. Within TDP circles, there is talk that a minister is getting all the related deals handled through the "Kim Team" on his behalf. How many more twists this controversy will take in the coming days remains to be seen.