Our government's stand on gag order in land scam case upheld by SC, says Andhra Minister

Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], November 25 (ANI): Andhra Pradesh Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Botsa Satyanarayana while responding to the Supreme Court's stay on the Andhra P High Court's gag order said his government's stand on the gag order was upheld by the apex court on Wednesday.
The SC stayed the order of the AP High Court restraining the media from reporting the contents of an FIR filed by the AP Anti Corruption Bureau in Amaravati land scam case. It passed the stay order while hearing an appeal filed by the state government against the September 15 order of High Court.
"The Constitution of India says that law is equal for one and all. The SC stay is exactly what we expected. We will not get carried away when we get a favourable verdict nor will we dejected on any adverse remarks. Law will take its own course. The government will function abiding by the Constitution of India," Botsa Satyanarayana said.
The three-judge Bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, MR Shah and Subhash Reddy said that the High Court shall not decide till January end on the matter related to alleged irregularities in a land transaction in Amaravati.
While speaking in Amaravati on various issues, minister Botsa Satyanarayana said that a section of media was creating false propaganda on the amendment to property tax act in AP, with mala fide intention of defaming the state government.
"A strict policy decision has been taken by the central government. It has made recommendations and linked them with Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management. Accordingly, the state government has revised the property tax and house tax. The government is increasing the charges in the range of 0.1 per cent to 0.5 per cent only. And it is local bodies who will get those increased charges but not the state government. That will strengthen the local bodies. AP is not the only state but states like Karnataka and Maharashtra have revised the tax," he said.
Botsa explained that property tax was being imposed on the income from property, but now it is changed to the value of the property, according to the suggestion of the central government.
"The CM suggested the increase of tax should not be more than 10 to 15 per cent of the existing tax. Tax Payers Association also suggested me the same. Property tax for any house within 375 sq ft will be Rs 50 only. The tax will be increased for other houses in the range of 0.10 per cent to 0.5 per cent only. The tax hike will be 0.2 per cent to 2 per cent for non-residential houses," the minister explained.
Botsa Satyanarayana also slammed previous TDP government for increasing the water cess by 200 to 500 times the then-existing cess rate in 2018.
"Now CM YS Jagan has decided that cess on the water in residential houses should not exceed Rs 350. It has been decided that water cess increase should not cross 5 per cent," he stated. (ANI)