Blow to Botcha as his candidates not chosen

VISAKHAPATNAM / HYDERABAD: Is the appointment of B Sam Bob, principal secretary (municipal admn), as chairman of the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority intended to check the growing influence of PCC president B Satyanarayana? It appears so with the state government deciding to post Sam Bob as VUDA chairman though, normally, a politician is appointed to the post.Satyanarayana has two candidates for the post _ his his own brother and Gajapatinagaram MLA B Appala Narasaiah, and Bheemili legislator ‘Avanti’ Srinivas.But his plan has come a cropper with neither being selected.Since the inception of VUDA the chairman’s post has always gone to a politician of the ruling party.Breaking the tradition, Sam Bob has been asked to take over.Orders to this effect would be issued in a day or two, sources in the Secretariat said.The official reason being given is that VUDA has a jurisdiction over four districts and therefore a senior officer from Hyderabad has to be posted. In 2004 the then chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy nominated PSN Raju as VUDA chairman but there were no directors on the board at that time.After Raju’s three-year tenure ended, the urban development authority came under special officer’s rule.At that time the Visakhapatnam district collector acted as VUDA special officer.As VUDA’s jurisdiction has been expanded to cover four districts from East Godavari to Srikakulam, the government felt that a senior officer should head the authority and not a collector of a district.With the government’s decision discontent is brewing among the Congress leaders in the region who had pinned hopes on the post. “We have been waiting since 2009 for nominated posts to be filled.Already the party is facing a tough time from YSR Congress.If the party does not take into consideration the interests of the party workers, it will not do the party any good,” one Congress leader remarked.