Visakhapatnam MP rebuts YSRCP allegations on GITAM land deal

Reacting strongly to allegations by YSR Congress Party leaders, including party president Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, over the alleged alienation of government land at Rushikonda, Visakhapatnam MP and GITAM University president M. Sribharat on Sunday dismissed the claims as factually incorrect and misleading. He accused the YSRCP of spreading misinformation against the educational institution and himself.

Refuting the YSRCP’s claim that 54.79 acres of land proposed for alienation to GITAM was worth ₹5,000 crore, Mr. Sribharat said the land near the GITAM campus was originally part of the Rajiv Swagruha housing project meant for low- and middle-income groups. He alleged that during the YSRCP regime, the land use was converted to mixed use, following which the land was plotted and auctioned.

Citing official auction data from 2022 to May 2024, Mr. Sribharat said the land was sold at reserve prices ranging between ₹60,000 and ₹65,000 per square yard. At these rates, the value works out to about ₹19.5 crore per acre, taking the total value of 54.79 acres to around ₹1,000 crore, and not ₹5,000 crore as claimed by YSRCP leaders.

Drawing a comparison, Mr. Sribharat pointed out that during the YSRCP government’s tenure, around 11 acres of land near the GITAM campus was allotted to an international school in 2023 at just ₹1 crore per acre. He added that even after three years, there had been no construction activity on the allotted land.

Responding to allegations that government land recovered and fenced by the previous government was being handed over free of cost, the MP said the No Objection Certificate issued by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation had no role in deciding either the price or the final allotment of land. He said the proposal would still require approval from the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration and the State Cabinet.

“GITAM has consistently maintained for nearly two decades that it is ready to pay whatever price the government decides. We are not asking for anything free,” he said, accusing the YSRCP leadership of deliberately misleading the public.

Mr. Sribharat also recalled that during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the YSRCP government itself that designated the GITAM Institute of Medical Sciences and Research as the district COVID hospital. He said that during the two pandemic waves, more than 3,000 COVID patients were treated there. “If GITAM is merely a real estate business, why did the YSRCP government place such trust in our hospital during a public health crisis?” he asked.

He further stated that with 18,000 students and an 850-bed teaching hospital at its Visakhapatnam campus, GITAM requires government support to expand and strengthen its facilities. He said the university aims to play a key role in developing a skilled workforce and entrepreneurs to support the projected growth in employment, particularly in the IT sector, in the State.