Weeks after curtailing the powers of AP capital region development authority (APCRDA) commissioner K Kanna Babu, the state government headed by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has shunted him from the post and appointed school education director V Vijayarama Raju in his place.
Kannababu has been moved to the Civil Supplies Department as Commissioner.
His tenure at the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) was marked by active efforts in mobilising funds and advancing capital construction works.
However, sources said there has been dissatisfaction within the government over Kanna Babu handling of issues related to capital region villages.
There are also allegations that Kanna Babu, along with municipal administration minister P Narayana, was trying to harass the farmers who had given away their lands.
At the same time, Kanna Babu was also not getting along well with Amaravati Development Corporation Ltd chairperson Lakshmi Parthasarathy Bhaskar and Amaravati Growth and Infrastructure Corporation Ltd chief S V R Srinivas, who are now handling major projects.
Interestingly, this is the third change in the post of APCRDA commissioner in the last two years. Earlier, IAS officer Katamneni Bhaskar was appointed but reportedly removed for not aligning with the directions of the political leadership.
Subsequently, Kanna Babu, considered close to Minister Narayana, was brought in.
However, mounting allegations of irregularities in APCRDA operations, including inflated project estimates and selective awarding of contracts has forced Naidu to drop Kanna Babu, too.
The appointment of Vijaya Rama Raju — currently serving under Minister Nara Lokesh in the education department — has sparked speculation about internal political signalling within the government.