Liquor deaths, 'call money racket' set to dominate AP Assembly

Hyderabad: The death of five persons in Vijayawada after consuming liquor, the 'call money racket'
involving private money lenders, sand and bauxite mining in the state are expected to dominate the winter session of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly beginning Thursday.

The session is expected to be held for five working days
and the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the House would
decide on the agenda.

Five persons lost their lives after consuming liquor at an
outlet in Vijayawada and inquiry is on into the incident.

The 'call money racket' (also in Vijayawada) with
allegations of harassment and exploitation of borrowers by
private money lenders after providing easy loans has become a
major embarrassment to the TDP government.

Several persons have been arrested in connection with
the racket, in which activists cutting across political lines
are allegedly involved.

The opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) alleged that
ruling TDP MLAs are involved in illegal sand mining in the
state.

Opposition leader and YSRCP president YS Jaganmohan Reddy
yesterday sought the intervention of Governor ESL Narasimhan
into the 'call money racket' and the bauxite mining issue in
Visakhapatnam region. The move to take up bauxite mining is
being opposed by tribals of the region.

The YSRCP MLAs, who met here today to discuss their
strategy in the Assembly session, decided to forcefully raise
the issues in the House.

The land pooling for construction of capital city is also
expected to figure during the session. Farmers and other land
owners in some villages in the capital region have been
refusing to part with their land.

The government has already pooled more than 33,000 acres
for capital city construction under its land pooling scheme.
The land owners would get developed land, among other
benefits, under the scheme.

Call money is an instant loan available over a call
through flexible process where the lender comes home with
money, promissory note and other documents on extremely high
interest rates.

Another key factor in the process is that the lender can
demand return of money over a call anytime and anywhere.